Movielogr

Chaos (2000)

Directed by Hideo Nakata

Crime | Mystery

Overview

A man gets involved in a kidnapping scheme with the wife of a wealthy businessman. She lets herself be tied up and confined in his house while he sends the ransom demand. When he returns home that night, however, he finds her laying dead on the floor. In a panic he buries her body deep in the woods and tries to return to his ordinary life. One day, he thinks he spots her walking down the street. Is his mind playing tricks on him, or has she somehow returned from the grave?

Length 90 minutes

Actors

Masato Hagiwara | Miki Nakatani | Ken Mitsuishi | Jun Kunimura | Yûna Natsuo | Taro Suwa

Viewing History (seen 1 time)

Date ViewedDeviceFormatSourceRating
05/22/2019TVDVDLibrary8 stars
 

Viewing Notes

Since the Kinetic Visions series started at Doc Films I have been thinking about this movie. 1) Hideo Nakata is part of the series and 2) I’ve been trying to recall this specific film but wasn’t sure which film it was. All I could recall about the film is the apartment and kidnapping (I believe we may have screened this at a movie night back in the day). The Kinetic Visions series had me researching titles and descriptions and I came to conclusion this was it. I was right!

Most of the other plot details I forgot but pieces of it were familiar (like the opening in the restaurant and other spoilery things). It was very nice to finally see this and put my mind at ease. The film is as good as I had rated it on IMDb (8/10). I’m curious why its overall rating 6.7/10 is lower but if I had to guess it’s probably the second half machinations as the setup is gold. The entire thing is very Hitchcockian. Like I could totally see this as a film noir yet in the vein of ROPE or DIAL M FOR MURDER. It has those kind of beats. Perhaps it’s not as splashy as those but I love Nakata’s subtle turns as he spins this mystery. I wonder if this has been remade because it’s the perfect kind of story that would work in any country.

I forgot how mesmerizing Miki Nakatani is here. She’s radiant and a great femme fatale.  She’s been in other films I’ve seen but never has stood out like this. Even in Densha Otoko (Train Man) where she’s supposed to be “perfect” her portrayal isn’t near the level of this. And her presence here definitely improves this film bc you believe what men would do for her, to be with her.

With other Nakata films getting the restoration / Blu treatment I hope this one gets it bc it’s in need of an update. I’d like to have more of his films on Blu.

Sadly this wasn’t programmed at Doc Films (only so many slots to go around and plenty of directors to touch on) but Will Carroll, the programmer, would’ve added this one if he had the space (he couldn’t get RINGU bc of a rights dispute with Arrow Films). I would love to see this on the big screen.

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