I'm going to go the long way round in discussing this movie, so stay with me. I recently had a discussion over lunch about the Japanese comics that are translated for the American audience. Why were some comics brought to America while others, many that the Japanese consider so much better, are left in Japan? There are of course any number of reasons. As I watched A Complicated Raping Case, I found myself thinking back to that conversation about comics and wondering why, considering all of the good Hong Kong movies yet to reach these shores, were audiences in America and elsewhere subjected to this incredibly dull movie? Could it be that they had to release something, and since this was already subtitled on the film they decided to dump this snooze inducer? Or was it simply greed since some people, myself included, will rent pretty much anything.
The plot, best as I can tell, concerns the kidnapping of a rich man while he's having sex with his mistress. The police then stumble about trying to find out who did it. There's a tiny bit of violence, some sex (which seems not really to belong in the film) and lots of talking and smoking.
Its a movie thats made competently but has no forward momentum once the crime occurs. Once the crime happens the movie pretty much stops moving. Yes, there are attempts to understand and explain the whys and wheres of the crime, but mostly its people either sitting or standing and talking about things they probably could show you. A large portion of the film is like this, so the movie quickly becomes boring to the point where you reach for the remote to turn it off --- which generally is the same moment that some people decide have sex. This sort of, kind of keeps you interested, if for no other reason than its something other than sitting and talking or standing and talking. This ploy works a couple of times until you realize that the people doing it are rather ugly and that its as exciting as the prospect of watching yourself do the deed. (And I won't even mention that most of the sex takes place in the same room, no matter who's doing it, or where they are suppose to be)
No. I didn't like this movie, nor do I recommend it. While its far from the worst film ever made, it might be in the running for the dullest. Avoid at all costs. No one should be so hard up so as to have to watch this movie.
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