"Strawberry Night" tells about a dedicated female homicide unit police chief officer whose investigations into a series of grisly murders of gang members, gets her at odds with her colleagues at the Organized Crime Division, as well as gets her involved with the second-in-command Yakuza man who stands most to gain with the deaths. However a case involving a major police scandal that happened 9 years ago stands in her way of solving these ongoing crimes.
The actress who played the central character was very good in showing her characters driven nature and dark side. The guy who played the Yakuza guy she got involved with had that gangster gentleman charm about him, yet his threatening sinister nature is still always still there. All the supporting characters all did well, those playing the police bosses covering up for a previous mistake, the antagonistic policemen investigating the Organized Crime angle, and her own loyal subordinates.
The director does so well in drenching the film atmosphere with rain, which complements the dark nature of the story. There are some intense scenes of a sexual nature that will disturb you, plunging the film further into darkness. The Japanese cultural milieu gives this film a further depth of interest. You will be kept guessing up to the end as to the who the perpetrator/s are and why the killings were done at all. The final confrontation scene occurs unexpectedly and was very well- staged. Recommended watching!
