It’s very difficult to make a film that can be considered equal parts art and horror. There’s a thin line between grotesque and striking (especially when speaking in terms of imagery) that needs to be carefully assessed in order to provide an engaging and provoking viewing experience. Nightmare Detective is director Shinya Tsukamoto’s latest effort in exploring the boundaries of that line. Yes, you will see a crimson coiled human intestine drop onto the floor within the first thirty minutes, but you will also be treated to a cerebral storyline with memorable visuals along the way.
Det. Keiko Kirishima (J-pop star Hitomi in her film debut) is intelligent and attractive, with a penchant for wearing skirt suits and heels. She has just transferred from a respected position investigating non violent crimes at the police academy to one doing field work at the local police station with lower ranking detectives. She is clearly not accustomed to field work, but her colleagues know she will most likely be promoted ahead of them due to her over qualifications. This and her prickly personality is a cause of tension between her and her colleagues, especially grizzled veteran Ishida and the younger Lt. Wakamiya (Masanobu Ando).
The police department starts to investigate a series of puzzling suicides, the first of which has the auspicious honor of being Keiko’ first case. When the investigators arrive on the scene, they find a young woman’s gashed body on a bed inside her own locked apartment. While her teammates attribute the slaying to suicide, Keiko astutely points out that the victim was heard screaming for help by her neighbors. Also, no note had been left which is usually standard in suicide cases. This is enough for Keiko to believe there is another less convenient explanation.
More clues are presented when another victim with similar slash marks is found dead. This time the victim’s wife is able to attest that her husband’s wounds were self inflicted. Strangely enough, the victim was asleep while he was attacking himself. The tenuous link between the two cases grows stronger when Kirishima discovers that both victims had dialed the same untraceable number right before their deaths. That and the possibility that both victims were asleep during the fatal incidents leads her to believe that some sort of latent hypnosis was used by the person on the other end of the phone call. But what is the connection between this person and the victims? How is he doing it? Is it possible to have the power to kill in dreams?
The mystery of “O” becomes an urgent matter and recognizing that the case may be outside of the normal scope, the chief of police divides the investigation team into two parts in order to effectively research any possible leads. To her dismay, the logical and rational Kirishima is chosen to lead the second unit, whose purpose is to capture “O” using unconventional, alternative routes (i.e the Supernatural route). The now helpful Lt. Wakamiya is assigned under her, and the team is led to Kyoichi Kagenuma (Ryuhei Matsuda), a troubled young man who has the extraordinary ability to enter people’s dreams.
Kagenuma is tormented by his skill and when the detectives first encounter him after a failed suicide attempt, he refuses to assist. The investigators have no choice but to move forward using one of their own as bait, and Wakamiya makes deadly contact with O, despite Kagenuma’s surprise intervention. A desperate act on Lt. Kirishima’s part forces the Nightmare Detective into action against “O”. What follows is a vicious and hallucinatory chase through the landscape of memory and dream. Who or what exactly is O? And can Kagenuma use his cursed ability stop him from killing in dreams ?
The film is a dreamy plot driven exploration focusing on the tenuous line between reality and fantasy. As the action further progresses into the bizarre, the violent and twisted narrative takes the viewer along with it. Director Shinya Tsukamoto has a library of films under his belt and Nightmare Detective is an adventurous amalgam of his previous works. There‘s tons of good quality gore, and I have to admit that the storyline kept me glued to the screen, not wanting to miss any breakthroughs or details. Tsukamoto himself plays the villain with such a chilling and deranged detachment, it’s hard to imagine anyone else in the role. The villain’s dream form is CREEPY and Tsukamoto’s performance clearly stands out when compared to the tepid performance of the rest of the cast.
I expected Hitomi and Ando to sizzle onscreen, but all their scenes together fell flat and boring. Also, the film’s commitment to the abstract sets the stage for considerable confusion. The setting shifts from the real world to the dream world in the blink of an eye and Tsukamoto leaves it up to the viewer to discern which is which. There is little exposition or explanation, just jarring segues into the absurd that flip right back to the conventional storyline. The story itself requires total attention, and some intricacies of the plot end up lost in the jumble of the artistic licenses taken.
Nightmare Detective is definitely a film that requires multiple viewings to understand (At least it did on my part). It’s loyal to the Tsukamoto’s repertoire and fans will be satisfied at that, but in no way could this be considered his finest work. It’s not a bad effort by any means, but it’s a bit of a letdown because it doesn’t show us anything new from a director known for innovation and breakthrough. As a stand alone work, it’s a good alternative to most of the crap that could be considered Asian Horror although I would definitely recommend watching Tetsuo The Iron Man first to get a feel for what’s expected from the director.
