Riyû (2004) Reviews

• Incredibly well made Movie

  Tamasaburo2014-11-03

  This is a very original and well made movie. In a Tokyo tenement building, four people are murdered. The movie follows a fictitious TV-crew interviewing all the people involved, neighbors, families, police. The complicated story unfolds before the viewers eyes. I found this movie to be a highly rewarding treat, the actors are mostly brilliant, as is camera, editing and music. The long running time flew by, I was stunned by the directors way of telling the story. It had a surreal feel all about it which I loved. Don't confuse this Movie with the 2012 TV version, as the other reviewer did, that's the reason for this review. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

• It's all about Family

  etsuo2013-08-13

  Senior detective Tatsuo Yoshida muses that families form, quarrel, and stay together or part for definite, but private reasons. In the first scene, Yoshida keeps his eager subordinate, Keita Tachibana, from arresting a suspect before he's had time with his family for his son's birthday. Later that night, he gets a call from his estranged daughter, Miho, but doesn't answer when another case pops up. The body of a young man has been found at the foot of the Vander Senju apartment/Mansion complex. A blood trail from the entrance leads to a deluxe apartment 2025 with three dead bodies. The resident manager, Sano, wonders aloud who these people are, since he he only knows about the previous three member Koito family. The current register lists the Sunagawa family of four, one of whom may be the young guy who's face has been disfigured by the fall from the balcony. However, it becomes clear that this "family" is a bogus group. Further, the building security cameras show two people leaving the apartment, four minutes apart, near the time of the murders. One is a woman carrying a baby, and the other is a rough looking man who has a bandaged hand. Who are these fugitives, what are the identities of the murdered "family"? This case soon involves a number families, illegal acts, and an abandoned puppy. Can the detective Yoshida and Tachibana solve these mysteries? The resolution involves a bowl of Miso soup,a muddy delivery van, and two petty criminals who face problems very differently