“Even the most promising clues usually only lead to others.”
William Somerset-Se7en
Horror doesn’t always translate perfectly across cultures. Certain nuances can be lost when we watch films from other countries, so I like to dig into how audiences from that culture perceive the film. While reading a Japanese review, the writer said this: “Like the (Tokoyo) subway attack, the murders in Cure are connected to the mesmeric will of a single man, but carried out by a seemingly random assortment of perpetrators.” The cultural relevance of the attack made Cure even more frightening.
The film follows detective Takabe, played brilliantly by Kōji Yakusho, as he investigates a series of murders where different people inexplicably kill others, but each with no memory of why they committed the act. The common link is a mysterious man named Mamiya (Masato Hagiwara), who seems to have an eerie ability to hypnotically manipulate people into committing these murders.
Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s direction is brilliant, and the script is flawless. Cure transcends traditional horror by examining society’s reaction to senseless evil, much like the aftermath of real-life events like the Tokyo subway attack. The film feels like a warning about the spread of social contagions—how easily people can be influenced to commit acts of violence without fully understanding why. This elevates Cure beyond fear and into a more thought-provoking realm.
The only real issue I have with the film is Masato Hagiwara’s performance. While Kōji Yakusho gives a deeply compelling performance as Takabe, I found Masato Hagiwara’s portrayal of Mamiya a bit underwhelming. His stiff, almost emotionless demeanor feels flat, especially in scenes with Yakusho, who brings a much stronger presence to their interactions. It’s possible this was a directorial choice to emphasize Mamiya’s blank, detached nature, but it left the villain feeling less menacing than he should have.
What makes Cure so effective is its restraint. Kurosawa doesn’t rely on jump scares or gore but rather builds a slow, suffocating tension that explores the fragility of human psychology. The washed-out cinematography, desolate landscapes, and long silences create an unnerving atmosphere that lingers. By probing themes of free will, identity, and moral decay, Cure is more than just a horror film—it’s a haunting exploration of human nature disguised as a crime thriller
Rating: 9.5/10
