Cure – Review

An everyday man walks home from work, gabbing a pipe off a tunnel wall on the way. He picks up a prostitute and goes to a hotel, does his business, and then beats her to death. He showers and drops his ID in the room before leaving. The maid finds the gruesome scene and calls in the authorities.

The body is even stranger than expected when the police investigate, as Detective Kenichi Takabe (Yakusho) finds a large letter X slashed into her body, near the neck. Gross and bizarre. Even odder, the man who did the crime is found naked and hiding in a hotel vent.

The details keep getting murkier. This is the third case like this, with an X carved into a body, however completely unrelated perpetrators and victims. There are no ties between any party, and all the killers cannot explain their actions, but do confess to the deeds. It’s best to let the movie do the rest of the plot exploration, so dig in, if you dare…

Cure is a fairly bonkers psychological thriller about a mysterious kind of serial killings. It has a creative script, and a moody procedural investigation by a stoic detective. The bizarre killings are only the beginning to this tale, which winds through some interesting and devious ideas. It is a high-quality presentation all around, and even has a few chills. Acting is great and the overall story gives plenty to ponder.