'The Devotion of Suspect X'' is a film based on the novel of the same name, written by the Japanese Keigo Higashino. The book was a commercial success and it was warmly received from the European and American readers, as it is about an ingenious cat and mouse game between two old classmates where the first one is Tang Chuan, a university professor and police consultant in serious cases, while the second, Shi Hong, is a recluse young man, reserved and timid who prefers to live alone. The plot begins to unfold with the brutal homicide of a man, husband and father of a teenage girl without obvious suspects to begin with. The detectives put on the case suspect the victim's ex wife who nevertheless seems to have a strong alibi for the night of the murder, an alibi confirmed by her neighbor, Shi Hong. Tang Chuan will seize the opportunity to visit his old friend and antagonist, and soon he will grasp the difficulties of the case because of Shi Hong's help and advices to his female neighbor. The plot moves forward in a steady pace and has many twists and turns while the viewer is allowed to absorb the beautiful cinematography of this Chinese film which, has nothing to envy of the big American and European thriller productions. Furthermore, the acting is impeccable and along with the mystery and suspense concerning the murder, the viewer can devour the wonderful dialogue which is embellished with lots of mathematical references. I haven't read the book but the movie motivated me to search for more novels and movie adaptations of Keigo Higashino's work. Fans of quality crime fiction films will certainly not be disappointed with this little gem from China.
