Jisatsu sâkuru (2001)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Sion Sono

Writer:

Sion Sono (written by)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Sore de wa minasan, sayonara [Well then, goodbye everybody.]

Plot:

A detective is trying to find the cause of a string of suicides.

Plot Keywords:

Suicide | Police | Platform | Train | School

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Ryo Ishibashi	...	Detective Toshiharu Kuroda (as Ryô Ishibashi)
Masatoshi Nagase	...	Detective Shibusawa
Mai Hosho	...	Nurse Atsuko Sawada (as Mai Hôshô)
Tamao Satô	...	Nurse Yôko Kawaguchi
Takashi Nomura	...	Security Guard Jirô
Rolly	...	Muneo 'Genesis' Suzuki
Joshua	...	Slave Boy
Masato Tsujioka	...	Genesis' Gang
Kôsuke Hamamoto	...	Genesis' Gang
Kei Nagase	...	Genesis' Gang
Yoko Kamon	...	'The Bat' Kiyoko (as Yôko Kamon)
Maiko Mori	...	Kiyoko's Sister
Sayako Hagiwara	...	Mitsuko (as Saya Hagiwara)
Takatoshi Kaneko	...	H.S. Boy on the Roof
Mika Miyagawa	...	H.S. Girl on the Roof

Also Known As:

Suicide Circle (International: English title) (literal title) (Japan: English title) (poster title)
Suicide Club (International: English title) (USA) (festival title)

MPAA:

Rated R for disturbing thematic elements, strong violence/grisly images and some language.

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

New Zealand:R18 | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Japan:R-15 | Argentina:16 | Singapore:R21 | Germany:18

Filming Locations:

Tokyo, Japan

Company:

Omega Project

Trivia:

The Bat's computer is a black Apple Macintosh PowerPC 5500/225. This model was already discontinued in 1998.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When the students jump to their death on the school roof, you can clearly see crew-members throwing buckets of fake blood at the window.

Quotes:

Genesis: Hi there. My name's Genesis. I've had delusions of grandeur since I was a child.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Hostel (2005)

Soundtrack:

Mail Me

Unconventional by typical Hollywood standards, but damn... a fresh film.

First of all despite the content, the story idea and the GORE (yes, there is some really over the top bloodletting in this film) it is NOT a horror film... its a work of human existence and a need to sustain ones life in light of the things that many take for granted. The casting is superb, everyone (even the off the wall characters) fit perfect and in the scheme of things they all work well no matter how minor they may seem because they seem to be taking themselves pretty serious. I can see how it may confuse and bewilder alot of people used to typical Hollywood film structure, and when more westerners here in the states finally see it they will most likely not "get it". I'm guessing the comparisons to Battle Royale (still a far superior work of art, though its unfair to compare them... totally different films despite being social commentarys) will also draw in and then ultimatley turn off many fans too since it leaves you with a empty, pondering feeling at the end. Great film, not for everyone but if you want to take a risk on something a bit different give it a spin in your dvd player, its at the very least a nice departure from the typical western film and the forced art house flicks like Pi. oh, and Ryo Ishibashi is excellent as usual too...9/10