The Incite Mill

As other reviewers have said, this is a fairly predictable movie. What it did, it did okay... it just wasn't original at all. I found myself getting bored around halfway through and had to force myself to finish it. I know that this came out first, but honestly I found myself thinking about Danganronpa throughout most of it. In a lot of ways this was VERY similar to Danganronpa, expect Danganronpa did everything better. My honest advice is to skip this and watch Danganronpa if you haven't already. And even if you have seen it already, skip this and watch Danganronpa again. That's what I wish I did.

Having signed up for a mysterious psychological experiment with the promise of a lucrative paycheck, ten individuals find themselves locked in an underground facility in which they are slowly killed off in this Japanese thriller from the director of 'Ringu', Hideo Nakata. The movie is clearly influenced by Agatha Christie's 'Ten Little Indians' with creepy Indian statuettes to match, however, this is very much a story of its own with a contemporary culture twist to come that is best left unspoiled; suffice it to say, the mysterious numbers that keep rapidly ticking over beneath the time and date on the wall serve a definite purpose. There is also an unsettling newfangled robot in this tale and as each of the ten participants are given their own weapon, the film often feels like it owes more to the Cluedo board game than Christie's iconic murder mystery. Whatever the influence, Nakata creates a gripping ride in which we are forced to not only question who the murderer is but who is behind the facility and what the aim of their experiment actually is. The film benefits from imaginative sets too and some really good performances - in particular, Kin'ya Kitaôji as the oldest among the ten, a recovering alcoholic who recently lost his son. Less effective is Tatsuya Fujiwara as the protagonist, but that is mostly due to way his character is written: though a confessed coward, he frequently comes off as self-righteous and preachy. The film also concludes with a host of unanswered questions in terms of the way the facility is run and is allowed to operate, but the solution to the first murder is admittedly nifty and the film offers plenty of food for thought in terms of how much we tend to assume things in life and tend to consider the possible negative in others.

Great concept, but flawed execution.

Ten strangers sign up for a highly lucrative but mysterious role. They then discover that they are to be part of a social experiment lasting seven days. Also turns out that the experiment involves murder...

Very interesting premise, and the first few scenes for the movie were very intriguing. The movie felt like Battle Royale meets Cube meets Cluedo, with a touch of Agatha Christie thrown in.

However, it doesn't quite deliver on its promise. While trying to be a study in human behaviour, it doesn't really capture human behaviour very well.

In addition, many plot developments feel contrived, and can easily be explained away, by means more obvious than those decided upon in the movie.

We also have twists for twists sake, some of which are telegraphed a long way off.

On the plus side, there is still a good degree of intrigue, and this does keep you interested.

Overall: okay, but not great. A tighter, more focused script and this would have been excellent.

There are many Agatha Christie's "10 little Indians" variants about, but I always find this concept entertaining despite its basic mechanics of murder and mystery. And this Japanese production is just the same. It plays out like "10 Little Indians" meets "Big Brother" and is handled by a competent director in the name of Hideo Nakata. Well known for for the influential horror "Ringu" (1998).

Ten people have thought they got a lucrative job, but actually find themselves locked up for seven days and forced to play a experimental murder game in what they call the paranoia house.

The outline is basic, but it's how the innovative screenplay plays about our characters and puts them in difficult situations. Where danger and suspicions fuel the fire. The mystery is engaging, psychology interplay tingles and there's nothing black and white here with these unstable characters. Even if there are some questionable inclusions and elaborate plotting. Sure there are daft moments, but Nakata's direction is sure-footed and suspense well-timed. Simple, it's entertaining and with that in mind its rather ironic in what I'm typing since it's taking a shot at society's obsession of turning violence into profitable entertainment. The music is subtle, but effective and the sombre underground(?) location is sterile in appearance and taut in atmosphere. It's slickly shot with Nakata's clinical approach working in its favour. The performances are rock-solid by the likes of Tatsuya Fujiwara, Kin'ya Kitaôji, Haruka Ayase and Satomi Ishihara.

"You like mysteries"?

This is a show where the phrase, "if it is too good to be true, it probably isn't". This movie certainly makes a point of that, particularly by managing to get a variety of people into a suspicious job with very high pay.

While this is a mystery movie, it isn't very mysterious, and most things can be easily deduced or at least assumed quite early on.

Despite the fact that it is entirely predictable, it is still good for a watch. Although, I can't see myself wanting to re-watch it unless I was feeling in the mood for this type of show. Still, it is worth a watch.

None of the characters particularly stand out, but the actors do a good job, so luckily we are presented with good acting to help the lackluster characters.

If you liked Battle Royale or Squid Games, you will probably like this, but it probably won't replace them to say the least. If I ever find myself wanting to have a survival Asian horror marathon though, this will probably be included.