SMILE (2012)
Smile (2012) is a recently released slasher movie starring Junko Kurosu that has opened to strong reviews. The movie is noted for it's gore and well executed twists, but is otherwise not high cinema. (Velvet Room MUSH - Persona 2/Original)
Review - Coolest Magazine, Published August 26, 2012
SMILE (2012) - Supernatural Crime Horror, 93 minutes
★★★★☆
Review by Riko Ishiguro, Film and TV Reporter
Director: Iekazu Takai
Starring:
Youhei Itou
Shin'ichirou Moriwaki
Nanami Shimoda
Saya Ichikawa
Yoshiyuki Murakami
and Junko Kurosu
Directed and written by Horror Filmmaker Iekazu Takai, SMILE is slower to get to the slasher action and scares than his usual work, but stands out from the director's usual splatter-fests by providing some surprising twists and genuinely unsettling scares, along with a strong suspense buildup before the gore starts pouring.
SMILE is focused on a serial killing case where the only evidence left behind at every scene is the murder weapon- a pair of overly sharp scissors- each of which is completely identical, down to the signs of wear on the blades. While no two victims deaths have been exactly the same apart from the murder weapon. The most recent victims are Gen and Hanae Ookuma. a high profile politician and his much younger new wife. Both were killed in their home, with a smile carved into the wife's face with the scissors.
The recently promoted Chief has veteran Detective Kousaku Nagami (Youhei Itou) put together a team to investigate the killings- when two of the most experienced officers on the force turn up dead on the same night, the investigation team takes on two young officers- Kengo Sugino (Shin'ichirou Moriwaki), the son of one of the murdered officers and Maika Kishi (Nanami Shimoda) an ambitious and intelligent female officer- to fill the teams gaps.
The leads in the film all deliver excellent performances, and the handsome Shin'ichirou Moriwaki has a bright future ahead of him as a leading man. Stand out however is Junko Kurosu's excellent turn as the 'Smile Killer', delivering a pathos filled and cathartic performance in a role that is typically performed as a faceless murderer, as well as delivering excellent dramatic moments in flashback. Special mention must also go to Saya Ichikawa as the civilian waitress caught up in the detective's plan to trap the killer.
The soundtrack is a mix of atmospheric horror and modern pop, with several pieces by Idol Group MUSES, including a new song. The three singers also have a cameo appearance in the film, during the killers rampage at a political party.
While hardly high art, SMILE is a great example of a slasher film for those who enjoy it. The director's attempt to try their hand at three different genres can cause clashes at times, and the ending is resolved somewhat clumsily, it's the perfect film for afficionados of the genre and the rare example of a female killer in the genre. Some might call the ending a touch cheesy, but if you're looking for a good scare, copious blood, and a passable mystery, SMILE is for you.
Spoiler Summary - Posted to Double Slash Movie Forums
The first thirty five minutes of the film form the basis of a decent crime drama, focusing on the younger detectives efforts to hunt down the killer with Maika finding a connection between the murdered officers and the politician. Without the authority to investigate further, she takes it directly to the Chief Detective to ask for his help.
Meanwhile, Kengo, already wanting to catch the criminal who killed his father, is swept along by the older detectives on the team insisting on laying a trap for the killer at an upcoming political launch for the dead politician's replacement, his former aide and right hand man, who the older detectives believe would be his next target. While the Chief Detective is absent, the plan is put into motion, with the detectives intending to catch the killer in the act.
With everything in position, the aide is suddenly and brutally killed on stage by a pale woman in a surgical mask, driving her scissors through his head and ignoring the bullets fired by the police officers.
The killer begins a violent slaughter of the guests, security, and several of the investigation team, with the remaining detectives forced to try and protect a small group of VIPs and civilians, including waitress Misa Ida (Saya Ichikawa) and party head Atsuhiro Takabatake played by industry elder statesman Yoshiyuki Murakami.
With elevators disabled and power out, the detectives try their best to survive, but the group is whittled down over the next thirty minutes in a suspenseful chase as the detectives find themselves unable to harm the killer, who keeps managing to be one step ahead of security and seemingly unstoppable.
Eventually the group is reduced to Kengo Sugino, Maika Kishi and Misa Ida, the only remaining survivors, when the true nature of the killer is revealed- Miyako Nagasawa (Junko Kurosu), the deceased first wife of Gen Ookuma, returned from death as a Kuchisake-onna. Asking the survivors 'Am I Pretty?', Misa Ida, misremembering the myth, tells the detectives to say yes so she'll leave them alone.
What follows is a brutal vicious, sequence as the killer does everything in her power to murder the survivors, as and both Kengo and Maika make desperate attempts to keep Misa safe and survive, both accruing a number of dangerous injuries.
Chief Detective Kousaku Nagami serves as the cavalry, briefly stunning the Kuchisake-onna and providing an escape in his car for the survivors, his memory of the myth providing the final opportunity for escape by remembering the myth properly and throwing the killer off the front of his car with expert driving, allowing the heroes to escape via the timely arrival of dawn.
With dawn breaking, Kousaku Nagami spells out the mystery, aided by a silent flashback sequence: Neglected by her ambitious and unfaithful husband, Miyako began seeing other men as an escape for her loneliness. Caught in her affair, her husband killed her and had the new chief and his detectives cover up the murder, paying her lover to keep quiet. Several months later, after the politician marries his new wife, the killings begin, with each murder shown on screen.
In the aftermath, Maika is promoted to full detective, as it was her investigation that allowed the Chief Detective to find the truth, and Kengo and Misa are now dating. Kengo Sugino leaves work to meet his new girlfriend, narrowly missing Maika heading to meet Chief Detective Nagami. In the chief's office, Maika reveals an abnormality with the case, handing a file to Chief Nagami, informing him that Misa Ida was using a different surname during the incident. The chief opens the file, and his eyes widen before the camera shows her true name- Misa Nagasawa.
In the final scene, coming out of the restaurant, Kengo and Misa get into Kengo's car, when she asks him a question 'Do you think I'm pretty?' before pulling a pair of scissors from her purse. The screen is covered in blood as the credits start to roll.
There is one more scare left for the film in the stinger, when audiences think they might be safe. After 'discarding' her new boyfriend, Misa rises and turns to the screen as if to face the audience, her face overlayed with that of Miyako, and asks that question one last time: "Am I pretty?"
OOC Information
SMILE was developed by the players of Makoto Niijima and Haru Okumura.
Write up by the player of Makoto Niijima.
Junko Kurusu, Coolest Magazine and MUSES were used with permission from players and staff.
If you want to talk about SMILE or see it on grid, please do! I'd love people to enjoy the work.