Review of Yougisha X no Kenshin 容疑者Xの献身 (Suspect X's Devotion)

Title: Yougisha X no Kenshin 容疑者Xの献身
Translated meaning: Suspect X's Devotion
Shown in cinemas from: 4 Oct 2008
Original novel by: Higashino Keigo (3rd installment in the Galileo series)
Official website: here
Theme song: Saiai by KOH+ (Shibasaki Kou & Fukuyama Masaharu)
Insert song: 99 by Fukuyama Masaharu
Total box-office takings: 4.92 billion yen

Cast:

Yukawa Manabu - Fukuyama Masaharu
Utsumi Kaoru - Shibasaki Kou
Kusanagi Junpei - Kitamura Kazuki
Kuribayashi Hiromi - Watanabe Ikkei
Jounouchi Sakurako - Maya Miki
Kudo Kuniaki - Dankan
Togashi Shinji - Nagatsuka Keishi
Hanaoka Misato - Kanazawa Miho
Hanaoka Yasuko - Matsuyuki Yasuko
Ishigami Tetsuya - Tsutsumi Shinichi

Review:

Finally managed to catch this movie last night after a long wait. Well, I can't claim to be a fan of the Galileo drama so it has nothing to do with the existing cast or the continuation of what happens after the drama. Galileo was a fine production but it still doesn't qualify as a classic in my list. It has got more to do with the fact that I like Tsutsumi Shinichi and Matsuyuki Yasuko (I enjoyed their performance especially in Beginner) and was looking forward to seeing them together onscreen again as well as observe if sparks will fly between Tsutsumi and Fukuyama during the genius showdown. As this is a suspense film, I suggest that you may wish to skip this review if you do not wish to read the spoilers.

In this movie, you are already shown the answer to two questions i.e. the identity of the murderer(s) and the accomplice. However, the question that is at stake is how they managed to do it. The murderers have a strong alibi which is foolproof. As such, compared to most suspense stories e.g. the Kindaichi, Furuhata Ninzaburo or even Tantei Gakuen series, the viewer has a comparatively simpler task on hand since they know the identity of the culprit right from the start. And maybe this is why I've read a couple of reviews saying that this story is not as complicated as it seems. True, the suspense factor may be a bit lacking (I knew the answer when Yukawa, Kusanagi and Utsumi were talking about Ishigami's attendance records) but overall, it still posed a certain degree of difficulty. We may not know the simple answer just because of our blind spot and assumptions. By changing our point of view, things become crystal-clear.

One important issue in this movie is why Ishigami went to the extent of sacrificing for Hanaoka. Although Ishigami does have some romantic feelings towards Hanaoka, I am inclined to think that it is not just out of love. I guess it has more to do with the gratitude he has towards Hanaoka and Misato. As we see in the final moments of the movie, Ishigami was actually preparing to hang himself in his apartment when Hanaoka came over with Misato to visit him since they had just moved in during summer. Subsequently, we see how they always greet Ishigami warmly and offer him a new reason to live on. It appears that Ishigami had been neglected for a long time so the newfound attention from Hanaoka and Misato made him realize that there are people who still notice his presence and are prepared to shower him with warmth. Subsequently, I believe that's how Ishigami found himself in love with Hanaoka and started to lament how he looked older than his age. Deep down, Ishigami feels that there is no way he can ever be with Hanaoka. As such, he is prepared to take a step back and protect her in whatever way he can. He doesn't need her to reciprocate his feelings. This can also be seen from the lyrics of "Saiai" which seems to be written from the perspective of Ishigami. Thus, when the opportunity presented itself, he decided to help her cover up the murder. At that point in time, I believe he was already planning to sacrifice himself so that Hanaoka can escape scot-free with Misato. Well, things didn't turn out the way he wanted since Yukawa told Hanaoka about Ishigami's intention and she turned herself in as well. If Yukawa didn't do that, Hanaoka may not turn herself in since she wanted to protect her daughter. No doubt her conscience may be pricking her, she may choose to ignore this for the sake of Misato. That pain that Ishigami felt as he wailed was really excruciating. Although Ishigami is the culprit, I believe most people would feel for him especially in that scene.

Although Fukuyama Masaharu is officially the leading man in this movie, he is outshone by Tsutsumi Shinichi's strong performance as Ishigami. Yukawa obviously has lesser screen time as compared to Ishigami so the latter has more room to develop his role. Tsutsumi went to the extent of cutting his hair and dying streaks of it white, sported a hunchback and dressed in monotone colours just to bring out the feel of Ishigami's gloomy lifestyle and outlook in life. Comparatively, Fukuyama didn't have to spare too much effort to look his part as Yukawa. As such, I'm definitely more impressed with Tsutsumi's performance although I wouldn't say that Fukuyama did badly. It was just that Tsutsumi was able to convey his role more convincingly to me.

However, it was a pleasant surprise that Fukuyama showed a more-human side of Yukawa this time when he was asking Ishigami to tell the truth. The anguish Yukawa felt when Ishigami realized that all his hard work was in nought just reminded me that Yukawa is human after all. The Galileo we've seen so far is more cold and aloof although there were signs that he was hiding his true emotions. It was rare to see such an outburst from Yukawa and thankfully, Fukuyama didn't go overboard with that and I applaud this.

As usual, Matsuyuki Yasuko does well but I'm particularly impressed with how she displays fear e.g. when she killed her ex-husband and when she misunderstood that Ishigami was exhibiting a strong possession streak. Now that calls for real acting skills. It was a pity that Matsuyuki didn't get to enjoy much screentime with Tsutsumi since they were not supposed to have any contact other than at the bento shop. Most of the time, they were talking on the phone.

If you are looking for romantic developments between Utsumi and Yukawa, you will be terribly disappointed. It's more like they became friends especially when Yukawa was telling Utsumi about what he thought Ishigami had done. Frankly speaking, I prefer them to maintain status quo in their relationship rather than them developing into lovers.

On the whole, this movie turned out to be better than I thought. I was a bit disappointed with the Galileo drama at times when some episodes didn't turn out as well as the rest but this story proved to be a good one especially with some powerful acting from the cast. It may not be a very strong suspense story since lots of unknowns were made known at the start. In fact, there was debate on whether the novel qualified as a suspense story at the time it was published due to the obvious clues especially when the novel won a mystery novel award. As such, if you are watching this movie, maybe you should pay more attention to the process (how they covered up the murder and the motive of Ishigami) rather than who did it. Otherwise, you would be disappointed to find that searching for the truth is not as exciting as what you expected.

And my ratings for this movie...
Story: 8.5 out of 10 (Essence lies in the motive of Ishigami's actions and how they covered up the murder)
Acting: 8 out of 10 (For Tsutsumi's Ishigami, Fukuyama showing a human side of Yukawa and Matsuyuki's rendition of fear)
Theme song: 8 out of 10 (Great song from KOH+. When you read the lyrics of this song, it offers a better insight into Ishigami's inner world and how he feels towards Hanaoka.)
Visual effects / Scenery: 6.5 out of 10 (Not much scenery and visual effects. CG is definitely not at play here)
Teamwork / Chemistry: 7 out of 10 (Kudos for that mountain climbing scene when Yukawa pressed Ishigami for answers and he told him that the truth will not benefit anyone. Intense!)

Total: 38 out of 50