christopher-underwood Excellent and provocative outing from the likeable and intelligent, Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Made after a run of smaller 'straight to video' yakuza and the like movies, this was an early break for something better and is a great success. Staring the equally likeable Koji Yakusho, who would go on to work several times with Kurosawa, who seemed attracted partly by the fact they were the same age. The film begins and continues for some time as a beautifully shot bur scary exercise as people drop dead, seemingly inexplicably and an aura of surrealist mayhem develops. There is a slowing in proceedings while the main protagonist is investigated but interest is well maintained ahead of the fine denouement.

loogenhausen Kiyoshi Kurosawa is slowly overtaking Takashi Miike as my fave current Japanese director (sorry, Ryuhei Kitamura). I waited a long time to see Cure and now that I have, I realize how brilliant Kurosawa really is. This movie is so dense, so packed with subtext and subliminal detail, you might not get it all in one sitting. I will admit I had to watch the ending about 15 times in a row, because it is extremely cryptic. There is plenty of ominous and sublimely creepy imagery, not to mention a Kubrick/Lynch meshing of style here. Don't be mistaken though, because Kurosawa's signature jet-black humor and obtusely enigmatic storytelling is in rare form here. If you enjoy just soaking in a well-structured story and not worrying about who the killer is or if there's some contrived twist ending like most Hollywood movies, then Cure will satisfy your need to be entertained and use that thing in your head called a brain at the same time.

Jay Harris I was recommended to this film by a 19 year old film student,who gave it ecstatic praise & raved about the director Kyoshi Kurasawa( no relation to Akira).I will say this when I was 19 & would see a film like this (different than most that I have seen) I would have been just as thrilled.Today being just past 79, I was not that enthralled as he & some others were.That being said CURE is a very well made & acted film, telling in a unique different style about some unexplained deaths,& the subsequent police investigation & an arrested young man who may be involved in these deaths. This young suspect has amnesia or does he now,he exasperates the Doctor & the detectives questioning him to the point of our wanting to do the same, & then changing our minds,This is a modern tale set in modern Tokyo,but using an old camera style of cinematography, Most interesting.There is also a very old building from the late 19th century, that may hold the clue to solve this tale. We do learn certain things BUT left in doubt at the conclusion.OH yes, Mesmerism play a vital role as well.This is a near brilliant film & should be seen,Of course, the US run consisted of no more than 4 theatres in 1997.I do not know if it was ever on Cable or TV. It is available for rent in libraries (this is where my friend rented it from) I got mine from NETFLIX & am glad I did. It is a most thought-provoking mystery drama, It is deliberately slow paced so we can hopefully appreciated every scene. Final Warning It is confusing at times, BUT always interesting.Rating *** (out of 4) 89 points (out of 100*) IMDb 8 ( out of 10)* 89 points is 1 point shy of a ***1/2 rating

jinkblt Kurosawa has created a masterpiece here. This film is more than a horror thriller. It's a look at our modern society, and plays upon our innate fear that there is a monster hidden inside of us - even worse, we cannot control it.It begins as a typical detective story, film noirish in its execution, and like typical film noir, the detective finds more to the story than originally anticipated. But this film, just like its storyline, begins to transcend the genre it purports to be a part of midway through.More and more, we realize that it is telling the story of people today, boxed in, with our darkest desires oppressed. This theme of containment is heavy throughout, if one pays enough attention. For example, the usage of water as a symbol for the subconscious is useful for understanding many key parts of the film.Everything is superbly framed and shot, with more than a few very long shots (a testament to the high caliber of the cast). Sound and music are used sparingly but effectively.This film may not be very accessible to those who are only familiar with Hollywood-style film-making due to its slower pace and subtle conveyance.