Cure (1997)

Plot Summary: A detective in Tokyo is trying to solve a string of copycat murders being committed by different people with no real pattern or explanation. Frustration builds as the investigation becomes increasingly myopic while he also has to deal with the psychological illness of his wife at home. Ultimately, he suspects a supernatural cause linked to an amnesiac.

Genre: Psychological Horror

Breakdown: This is the prototype that basically all of J-Horror was based on. A year after Cure, Ringu and Juo-on were released. The style, themes, cinematography, colors, etc. of modern Asian horror basically come from this film. Due to this, it doesn't seem as fresh, but you have to give proper respect when you realize how much of the style flowed from this one film.

The story is pretty good as a mystery/detective (it's not really noire) movie on its own, and the horror elements really do build over the movie into the climax. It's not scary, but almost entirely psychological. Frustration and malaise are a big part of this movie and translating that from paper to film was done incredibly well.

One of the best developments of the narrative of this movie is how the antagonist is revealed more as the movie goes on. Each interaction with a new victim reveals more of the antagonist. This mirrors the investigation revealing more about the overall plot. By the end you have the full picture of the total implications, up to the literal final scene (it's similar to Pulse in this more than a movie like Ringu or Ju-On).

If you like mystery with a bit of supernatural, or horror with a bit of psychology, this should be right up your alley.

One thing that really threw me watching this movie was how shitty Tokyo looks. It looks like a post-industrial wasteland. Even scenes in hospitals look like they were shot in a run down warehouse. I guess this was when the economic issues were really hitting Japan hard, combined with the space issues with Tokyo and costs to upgrade infrastructure.

My Criterion 4k was stunning and the restoration made it look like it was a modern 4k film.

Streaming: I think the only way to stream is either pay for a rental or via the Criterion streaming app. It took so long for me to watch because I always forgot to watch it when I'd do my 7-day free trials of the Criterion app, so I ultimately bought the Criterion 4k recently for my birthday.