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IMDbPro

Cure

  • 19971997
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 51m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
15K
YOUR RATING
Cure (1997)
A mesmerising and hypnotic psychological thriller from Kiyoshi Kurosawa...

Released to critical acclaim in both the East and the West, CURE was a breakthrough film for director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, a nerve shredding thriller about the hunt for a serial killer in a bleak and decaying Tokyo.

A series of murders have been committed by ordinary people who claim to have had no control over their horrifying actions. Following the only link - a mysterious stranger who had brief contact with each perpetrator and their victim - detective Kenichi Takabe (Kôji Yakusho, 13 ASSASSINS, TOKYO SONATA) places his own sanity on the line as he tries to end the wave of inexplicable terror. 

Described as one of the greatest films of all time by Bong Joon-ho (THE HOST, SNOWPIERCER), CURE is a deeply unsettling masterpiece of its genre, and has shockingly been unavailable on home video in the UK until now. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Cure in a special Dual Format edition. 

CURE [Kyua], Kiyoshi Kurosawa's mesmerising and hypnotic psychological thriller, is released on home video for the first time in the UK as part of The Masters of Cinemas Series in a Dual Format edition on 23 April 2018.
Play trailer1:56
1 Video
80 Photos
  • Crime
  • Horror
  • Mystery
A frustrated detective deals with the case of several gruesome murders committed by people who have no recollection of what they've done.A frustrated detective deals with the case of several gruesome murders committed by people who have no recollection of what they've done.A frustrated detective deals with the case of several gruesome murders committed by people who have no recollection of what they've done.
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
15K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Kiyoshi Kurosawa
  • Writer
    • Kiyoshi Kurosawa(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Masato Hagiwara
    • Kôji Yakusho
    • Tsuyoshi Ujiki
Top credits
  • Director
    • Kiyoshi Kurosawa
  • Writer
    • Kiyoshi Kurosawa(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Masato Hagiwara
    • Kôji Yakusho
    • Tsuyoshi Ujiki
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 76User reviews
    • 107Critic reviews
    • 70Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 10 wins & 3 nominations

    Videos1

    Kiyoshi Kurosawa's CURE [Kyua] (Masters of Cinema) New & Exclusive UK HD Trailer
    Trailer 1:56
    Kiyoshi Kurosawa's CURE [Kyua] (Masters of Cinema) New & Exclusive UK HD Trailer

    Photos80

    Kôji Yakusho in Cure (1997)
    Cure (1997)
    Cure (1997)
    Denden and Shôgo Suzuki in Cure (1997)
    Tsuyoshi Ujiki and Kôji Yakusho in Cure (1997)
    Cure (1997)
    Denden and Masato Hagiwara in Cure (1997)
    Tsuyoshi Ujiki and Kôji Yakusho in Cure (1997)
    Kôji Yakusho in Cure (1997)
    Kôji Yakusho and Kae Egawa in Cure (1997)
    Anna Nakagawa in Cure (1997)
    Masato Hagiwara and Kôji Yakusho in Cure (1997)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Masato Hagiwara
    • Kunio Mamiyaas Kunio Mamiya
    Kôji Yakusho
    Kôji Yakusho
    • Kenichi Takabeas Kenichi Takabe
    Tsuyoshi Ujiki
    • Makoto Sakumaas Makoto Sakuma
    Anna Nakagawa
    • Fumie Takabeas Fumie Takabe
    Misayo Haruki
    • Tomoko Hanaokaas Tomoko Hanaoka
    Yoriko Dôguchi
    Yoriko Dôguchi
    • Dr. Akiko Miyajimaas Dr. Akiko Miyajima
    Denden
    Denden
    • Oidaas Oida
    Ren Ôsugi
    Ren Ôsugi
    • Police Commandant Fujiwaraas Police Commandant Fujiwara
    Masahiro Toda
    Masahiro Toda
    • Tôru Hanaokaas Tôru Hanaoka
    Tôji Kawahigashi
    • Psychologistas Psychologist
    Yukijirô Hotaru
    • Ichirô Kuwanoas Ichirô Kuwano
    Shun Nakayama
    • Kimuraas Kimura
    Akira Ôtaka
    • Yasukawaas Yasukawa
    Shôgo Suzuki
    • Tamuraas Tamura
    Hajime Tanimoto
    • Takabe's Bossas Takabe's Boss
    Takeshi Mikami
    • Truck Driveras Truck Driver
    Tarô Suwa
    Tarô Suwa
    • Apartment Manageras Apartment Manager
    Taijirô Tamura
    • Middle-Aged Man at Dry Cleanersas Middle-Aged Man at Dry Cleaners
    • Director
      • Kiyoshi Kurosawa
    • Writer
      • Kiyoshi Kurosawa(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In a poll conducted by Sight and Sound, South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon Ho (Snowpiercer (2013), The Host (2006), Memories of Murder (2003)) listed Cure in his top ten favorite films of all time.
    • Goofs
      (at around 51 mins) In Japan, they drive on the left side of the road and the steering wheel is on the right side of the car. In every scene in this picture that's the case - except one. When the detective leaves in his car to go to the hospital because Mamiya has turned up there, the steering wheel is on the left and he drives on the right side of the road.
    • Quotes

      Kunio Mamiya: All the things that used to be inside of me... now they are all outside.

    • Crazy credits
      There are no opening credits, with the exception of the movie's title.
    • Connections
      Edited into Cure: or How to Be Happy While Saving the Species (2017)

    User reviews76

    Review
    Top review
    Cure - a great movie, but with qualification
    I saw CURE at the San Francisco Film Festival in around 1998, and like many, I found the concept and craftsmanship arresting. A number of audience members stayed around afterwards to discuss it - it's a psychologically complex tale of hypnotism and the seductions of altered consciousness. Koji Yakusho (DORA HEITA, 13 ASSSASSINS, etc.) is at his acting peak as a detective who tries to solve a series of murders that don't seem to relate to common logic.

    Recently, I saw the DVD version of the film - and it's clear that the film had been cut severely. Most viewers have only seen the US DVD version, so they're not even aware of the problem. A few of the more graphic sequences were cut, important portions of the narrative set in an old sanatorium were excised, and the violent finish was excised entirely. (The US DVD concludes with the suggestion of a further killing; the theatrical Japanese version is more powerful and unambiguous.) In some cases, a later, recut version may be better than the original; however, that's not the case here.

    There's scant online text relating to the differences between the two versions.

    It speaks well for director Kiyoshi Kurosawa that he took a low-budget police procedural and made an innovative thriller out of it. Most of the scenes are under-edited and shot at a distance, to extract the most from the hypnotic storyline; the longer, hypnotic sequences are several minutes long, with no edits. Because the film uses medium-distance shots to give a sense of hypnotic disassociation, viewers with larger screens will gain an advantage.

    I strongly recommend seeing it - but would suggest you seek out the original, uncut theatrical print if you can. The differences are striking. I'd rate the original print as 10/10; the cut/domestic DVD is maybe 7/10. This film would profit from a Criterion reissue, but that doesn't seem to be in the works.
    helpful•11
    0
    • poikkeus
    • Oct 29, 2011

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 8, 2001 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • Japan
    • Languages
      • Japanese
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
      • Thánh Chức
    • Filming locations
      • Shirasato Central Beach, Ôamishirasato, Chiba, Japan
    • Production companies
      • Daiei Studios
      • Twins Japan
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • ¥1,000,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 51 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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