There are three separate stories linked by a gruesome murder. One of the three projects rage, but the other two examine trust and mistrust, particularly the trail of love in the face of doubt.
The murder is not premeditated. A normal couple is found stabbed to death in their home by a total stranger and the suspect's identity is quickly established as a man with sporadic outbreaks of psychopathic fits. Scrawled on the wall in blood, threatening to jump out of the movie screen, is the word RAGE.
While the photo of the man is used in a nation-wide manhunt, it is believed that he has undergone plastic surgery which clouds the certainty of his recognition. A year later, three mysterious men turn up in three different parts of the country. The movie is structured in quick cuts (no pun intended) from one short scene to another in narration of these three stories.
Tashiro, a taciturn young man, appears in a fishing village where he works part time for a fisherman Yohei (Ken Watanabe), who has just brought home his spoilt teenage daughter Aiko (Aoi Miyazaki), runaway to experience the life of a sex "escort". Aiko soon falls in love with Tashiro. The father's resistance softens as Tashiro finally tells them his story: he is running away and hiding from gangsters who killed his father. They now haunt him for repayment of his father's debts. Just as it looks as if Tashiro has found shelter from a stormy life, a computer-reconstructed picture of what the murder suspect may look like after the plastic surgery is distributed nationwide, with incriminating resemblance to him. Father and daughter find their trust in this young man quickly eroding.
Naoto, another taciturn young man, appears in a gay district in Tokyo where he encounters a happy-go-lucky middle class man Yuma (Satoshi Tsumabuki). Relationship between the two men deepens as Naoto moves in with Yuma. Their mutual affection is further strengthened when Yuma's hospital-bound invalid mother grows fond of Naoto, before she dies. The first spark of doubt arises when Yuma spots Naoto in a café with an attractive young woman. Then, as the composite picture of the murder suspect is exposed, it has the same effect on Yuma as it has on the father and daughter.
Tanaka, a travelling backpacking loner, is not a taciturn young man. He is mature and outgoing, making a temporary home for himself in the ruins of a deserted island belonging to Okinawa. He works on and off at construction sites. A young girl Izumi (Zuzu Hirose) and her adolescent boyfriend Tatsuya bump into Tanaka when they explore the island and befriend him. Their relationship is the most casual of the three stories, until something traumatic happens and change them forever.
While the plot obviously anchors on guess-the-murderer, the meat of the movie is in depicting the gloomy reality of frustration, mistrust and anger that plagues the country. There is also the feeling of helplessness, which can arguably be seen as the emotion that primarily fuels the rage. I'll leave it at that, as further elaboration means treading a tad too close to spoiler zone.
The cast is "dream team" calibre to the Japanese moviegoers. Ken Watanabe is likely the Japanese actor that is best known to the global audience, most notably with his appearance in "Inception". Aoi Miyazaki I have seen in "Nana" (2005) but I understand that she has since appeared in numerous popular films that I have not seen. Satoshi Tsumabuki is a familiar face and I remember him best in "The Kiyosu Conference". Suzu Hirose is unforgettable from "Our little sister" (2015)as the little sister who became the darling of her three step-sisters. The others in this ensemble cast have equally impressive credentials.
The murder is not premeditated. A normal couple is found stabbed to death in their home by a total stranger and the suspect's identity is quickly established as a man with sporadic outbreaks of psychopathic fits. Scrawled on the wall in blood, threatening to jump out of the movie screen, is the word RAGE.
While the photo of the man is used in a nation-wide manhunt, it is believed that he has undergone plastic surgery which clouds the certainty of his recognition. A year later, three mysterious men turn up in three different parts of the country. The movie is structured in quick cuts (no pun intended) from one short scene to another in narration of these three stories.
Tashiro, a taciturn young man, appears in a fishing village where he works part time for a fisherman Yohei (Ken Watanabe), who has just brought home his spoilt teenage daughter Aiko (Aoi Miyazaki), runaway to experience the life of a sex "escort". Aiko soon falls in love with Tashiro. The father's resistance softens as Tashiro finally tells them his story: he is running away and hiding from gangsters who killed his father. They now haunt him for repayment of his father's debts. Just as it looks as if Tashiro has found shelter from a stormy life, a computer-reconstructed picture of what the murder suspect may look like after the plastic surgery is distributed nationwide, with incriminating resemblance to him. Father and daughter find their trust in this young man quickly eroding.
Naoto, another taciturn young man, appears in a gay district in Tokyo where he encounters a happy-go-lucky middle class man Yuma (Satoshi Tsumabuki). Relationship between the two men deepens as Naoto moves in with Yuma. Their mutual affection is further strengthened when Yuma's hospital-bound invalid mother grows fond of Naoto, before she dies. The first spark of doubt arises when Yuma spots Naoto in a café with an attractive young woman. Then, as the composite picture of the murder suspect is exposed, it has the same effect on Yuma as it has on the father and daughter.
Tanaka, a travelling backpacking loner, is not a taciturn young man. He is mature and outgoing, making a temporary home for himself in the ruins of a deserted island belonging to Okinawa. He works on and off at construction sites. A young girl Izumi (Zuzu Hirose) and her adolescent boyfriend Tatsuya bump into Tanaka when they explore the island and befriend him. Their relationship is the most casual of the three stories, until something traumatic happens and change them forever.
While the plot obviously anchors on guess-the-murderer, the meat of the movie is in depicting the gloomy reality of frustration, mistrust and anger that plagues the country. There is also the feeling of helplessness, which can arguably be seen as the emotion that primarily fuels the rage. I'll leave it at that, as further elaboration means treading a tad too close to spoiler zone.
The cast is "dream team" calibre to the Japanese moviegoers. Ken Watanabe is likely the Japanese actor that is best known to the global audience, most notably with his appearance in "Inception". Aoi Miyazaki I have seen in "Nana" (2005) but I understand that she has since appeared in numerous popular films that I have not seen. Satoshi Tsumabuki is a familiar face and I remember him best in "The Kiyosu Conference". Suzu Hirose is unforgettable from "Our little sister" (2015)as the little sister who became the darling of her three step-sisters. The others in this ensemble cast have equally impressive credentials.