When I think of Toma Ikuta, the first thing that comes to my head is this skinny pretty boy with that distinctive nose who really can’t act. Unless, of course, its in a comedy role where he has to play an idiot. He really knows how to act like an idiot. Needless to say, I’m not a big fan of the guy (to the shock of many). When I heard about Nou otoko, I had many reservations. The only thing that kept running through my mind was the pain of seeing him act in Ningen Shikkaku and the snorefest that was Genji Monogatari (which I promptly fell asleep on 20 minutes in). For me, I believe that deep and meaningful characters is a role challenge for Toma and he never successfully brings them across the finish line.
That being said, seeing the previews for this movie totally raised my interets. Here we have this pretty boy brutally taking out people around him with his bare hands like an unstoppable killing machine. Blood, rain, screaming, explosions. Not to mention all of this is to the backdrop of 21st Century Schizoid Man by King Crimson (the song that was sampled by Kanye West for his song Power). This is something quite different for the otherwise happy go lucky actor that plays roles to swoon himself in the hearts of women (and men) across Japan. Is he a villain? A murderer? Who is he? My curiosity lead me to catch this movie this weekend and I prayed that the 1700円 I paid for the movie ticket lived up to its expectations.
And to my enjoyment, the movie did live up to its expectations.
Nou Otoko is less about Suzuki Ichiro, the assumed name taken by Toma’s character, and more about the psychologist that was assigned to him, Dr. Washiya Mariko, a woman who specializes with rehabilitating criminals. Using a new technique she adopted, she believes that the way to rehabilitate a criminal is by having the criminal face the victim personally. By using this method, she believes there’s success in completely reforming an individual… But when she meets Suzuki Ichiro, her perception of rehabilitation begins to be questioned.
But all that is to the backdrop of trying to figure out who and what Suzuki Ichiro is. He’s a man that is an enigma to all who’s around him — he never speaks unless spoken to, he runs very methodically (eats at a certain time, exercises at a certain time, even goes to the bathroom at a certain time), and feels nothing. He’s like a doll, or perhaps a killing machine, and its up to Dr. Washiya to figure him out before handing him off to the police. No matter what she asks him, he comes off as normal. His results come out normal but his actions speak otherwise. He’s confuses everyone around him; what exactly is he. It’s not until they actually dig deeper into his past and tear about his little instances that they’re able to find out who and what this Suzuki Ichiro is.
All the while, in the shadows, a duo of psychotic serial killers are plotting to kill him and the doctor.
Toma Ikuta portrays an anti-hero rather than a dark villain. Majority of the movie is spent with one-sided dialogue between him and Dr. Washiya with the latter investigating his life to figure out what exactly is going on in his head. He speaks no more than fifty lines in the entire film, his entire performance reliant on the little ticks here and there that convey what his character is thinking. Stoic and composed, Toma manages to convince you really quick that he’s some merciless killing machine. Each fight move specifically detailed showing the audience that this Suzuki Ichiro knows exactly where to hit and how to do it. Needless to say, Ikuta shines in this role. For some actors, they may look absolutely ridiculous playing a silent killing machine, but Ikuta manages to make it organic enough that you’re not spending the entire movie laughing at how ridiculous he looks.
He’s also supported by a strong cast that adds even another layer to the film. Perhaps, you can say, it’s up to his co-stars to carry the film. Dr. Washiya is your atypical psychiatrist, but Matsuki Yasuko is a strong actress to add a level of humanity to the character that would have been lost had another actress taken the role (a younger, inexperienced, actress). She doesn’t over act nor does she not deliver; she brings Dr. Washiya to life — a character tormented with a tragic past that haunts her even to this day. She’s introduced as a strong professional but you immediately see that she isn’t so strong. It was refreshing to see a movie, especially a Johnny’s lead film, where the lead actress did not make me want to throw myself out of a window.
Eguchi Yosuke plays a hard knocked, over zealous, detective who is extremely careless once he’s determined to solve a case. His blind determination is almost borderline insanity and Eguchi manages to bring that character to life though, at times, I felt as if he was trying too hard to play a borderline insane police detective. Though, his climax scene was humbling to say the least.
But the surprising stand out of the film was Nikaido Fumi, playing the psychotic serial killer named Midorikawa Noriko. For such a young actress, she sends shivers down your spine with how ruthless and uncaring she is. The things she does in the film is just flat out disturbing and how she can simply act through those scenes with the bluntness of a murderer is just astounding. There’s one scene in the movie that really was a highlight for me; after eavesdropping on a conversation, she breaks out into this bizarre mesh of tears and laughter. Her eyes are filled with pure insanity and you can see that she is this Midorikawa Noriko. I was, quite frankly, disturbed by her character in the movie. I was barely able to sleep that night. Not many young actresses in Japan can deliver with that same impact.
The cinematography wasn’t that spectacular and some camera decisions made during the action scenes were pretty bad and distracting. Though, the writing and acting makes up for where the cinematography lacked. The music is not that memorable but hearing 21st Century Schizoid Man at the end of the movie really wraps up the entire movie experience quite well.
Ikuta really proved himself with this film. He’s still not a favorite of mine and I probably won’t be as quick to watch another one of his films or movies but I really say that I thoroughly enjoyed this psychological thriller.