This is certainly one of the stranger Japanese movies I have ever seen. It's a sort of horror and crime film rolled together and will probably be of interest to lovers of both genres--provided they have a high tolerance for a very unusual and, at times, vague film. The plot involves a sick freak that has devoted years to investigating an older, forgotten form of hypnosis where you CAN make people do things against their wills and moral code. For kicks, he makes them commit horrendous murders and for a while the police are at a loss for why all these seemingly senseless murders occur. Well, about midway through the film the perpetrator is caught. From then on, it's a bizarre and at times surreal exploration of his demented world. The ending is very unusual and a tiny bit unclear, but overall the film is very good and sure to make you think.

NOTE--there is some nudity and very explicit murders. This is not a movie for kids!

The police detective Kenichi Takabe (Kôji Yakusho) is investigating bizarre murders where the victims are brutally murdered with an X carved on the neck. However, each killer is immediately arrested and confesses the murder, but cannot explain the motives to kill the victim. Takabe is working with the psychologist Makoto Sakuma (Tsuyoshi Ujiki) and they are intrigued since the all the killers had contact with a stranger immediately before the murder. Takabe is a troubled man since his mentally unstable wife Fumie (Anna Nakagawa) is a burden in his life. When a physician kills a man in a public restroom, Takabe discloses the identity of the stranger. He is the intern of the hospital Kunio Mamiya (Masato Hagiwara) that had consultation with the doctor. Mamiya is a dazed and confused man with apparent loss of memory and his behavior affects Takabe. His further investigation discovers that he has studied hypnotism and is capable to input suggestion to kill in the mind of his victims. Takabe becomes obsessed by the case affecting his personal life and indicating that he is losing his mind.

"Cure" is a dark and gloomy horror film with a story of obsession. The plot is a combination of thriller, crime and horror genres with an open conclusion. The direction and the performances are top notch and the murders are gruesome. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): 'Cura" ("Cure")

A frustrated detective (Koji Yakusho) deals with the case of several gruesome murders committed by people who have no recollection of what they have done. (Co-starring Anna Nakagawa from "Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah".)

A U.S. theatrical release came in 2001, in the wake of a renewed interest in Japanese horror cinema spurred on by Hideo Nakata's international cult hit "Ring". Inevitably, this prompted more than a few to dismiss "Cure" as a cash-in, despite the fact that it was made over a year earlier and that the line of influence more likely runs in the opposite direction. Regardless, this exposed Kurosawa to an American audience and he has made a number of great films that have been international hits since: "Pulse", "Creepy", "Daguerreotype", and more.

Tom Mes, the undisputed expert on Japanese cinema, says, "Cure is a horror film in the purest sense of the word; its ability to unsettle the viewer is second to none." He is not wrong.