User reviews

I watched this film knowing nothing apart from the plot summary on IMDB. Which itself is pretty confusing. But I am glad that I did.

The story follws detective Kaga who gets entangled in a murder which might have some connection to his estranged mother who had died 16 years ago. He along with his cousin set out to solve the mystery which brings out facts and relations that were better hidden.

The best way to describe the movie is to compare it with the Suspect X franchise. If you have whated it, you know how Japanese murder mystries work. This one is similar to that genre but severely more complex. The film not only explores a murder but also relations between various people. Anything is not what it seems. While the initial part of the film may point towards a hardened criminal, we find out that all the events are more personal than one might think. And the director does a fantastic job in weaving a web that connects all the dots together. As I said earlier the story is very complex and had me confused in the beginning specially with so many Japanese names and characters that were hard to remember. There were scene changes follwed by explicitally written narative and I found it weird. But I realized halfway through the film that those were necessary to actually understand the plot and keep the veiweres on track. It took me sometime to grasp everything but I was insync with the film thanks to the amazing editing and a realistic portrayal of a police investigation. The movie is around 2 hours long but is paced brilliantly. I was nevre bored as the story unfolded layer after layer before my eyes. The director took his time to explain the plot but it was never dull. The length seemed necessary to introduce and develop the character and it was done beatifully. Its not always that you sympathize with every single chatracter. And that is the USP of this film. You learn something by every passing minute and every theory atht you have in your mind is flushed down the drain. In the beginning some connection are made very easily and looks like the crime is solved. But the very next moment the films contradicts itself and makes itself more complex. That is the charm of this movie. It cathes your attention from the very beginning and never lets it go. It dives in to become a cheap and unthought thriller and hits you right back in the face when you think so with a logical plot twist.

I would advise everyone looking for a genuine and intelligent murder mystery to wathc this.

Welcome to the world of Keigo Higashino, one of the Japanese most prolific writers. His books always feature multiple story lines, complicated relationships and heart wrenching drama. Mostly interested in how and why rather than who, this is an unusual approach to crime mystery writing, but it doesn't make it any less entertaining.

The plot of THE CRIMES THAT BIND is practically indescribable, it starts with a decomposed body of a woman found in an abandoned apartment. A homeless man is burned to death nearby. How are the two incidents connected? Switching between the past and the present and with the help of detective Kaga, whose childhood seems to be deeply entwined with the case, a tragic story of a family that was separated, but never truly lost the sight of one another, is unveiled.

There's a lot going on in the film, there are many characters, but the story never loses its focus. It is a rare case when the creator (Higashino) throws his favourite detective Kaga into the middle of the action. He is usually pretty detached and just follows the clues.

The cinematography is fantastic, perfectly capturing Japan's daily life. And the likeable characters make you invest in the story early on.

THE CRIMES THAT BIND is a perfect introduction to what detective Kaga's mysteries are about. Hugely popular in Japan and slowly but steadily conquering the world, this intelligent and dramatic story is worth your time.

As a big fan of Keigo Higashio, I love the way how the movie describes sacrifice yourself for the loved one. This movie lets me recall of "Journey under the mid-light sun" about life is always bitter. I have been touched by the deepest love of fatherhood and motherhood. One scene impressed me very much that after Asai seeing Kaga's face, she immediately confirmed that Kaga's as a gentle-hearted person, it is not only from her basic perception , but the more is from the sincerity of his father's love. When it comes to ending, I cannot only burn my brain, but also dropping my tears. That is the power of Higashio.

Who did the director of "The Crimes That Bind" hire to score the music? Yanni? George Winston? The syrup-heavy music was so overwhelming in this film that whatever was happening on screen didn't matter - all you wanted to do was hope the infernal, dreaded music stopped while the scenes played out. Alas, that wasn't the case. so you are TORTURED for the duration of the otherwise well-written crime thriller by the sappy instrumentals and the frequent, overdone, on-screen sobbing. That said, if you can somehow magically mute the background music out of your mind, you'll be rewarded with an interesting Japanese crime noir that matches those created in South Korea and elsewhere.