9 Souls (2003)

Movie Rating NR Contains: Strong Language Violence Graphic Violence Sex Mature Situations

Director: Toshiaki Toyoda Movie Genre: Drama, Prison Country: Japan 9 Souls Score Card The following scores are based on a 0.0 to 10.0 rating scale Hover your mouse pointer over the name of each scoring category below for a description Direction: 6.6 Writing: 7.0 Acting: 8.0 Cinematography: 7.7 Sound and Score: 6.6 Functionality: 8.0 Presentation: 7.0 Genre Comparison: 7.0 General Comparison: 8.0 Overall: 7.3 Reviewed 2005-12-05 17:12:48

Director, Toshiaki Toyoda continues his examination of the dependent nature of friendship with his fourth movie, 9 Souls. The story, also by Toyoda, is about nine men sharing a prison cell together. They find a way to escape after noticing a mouse hole in one of the cell?s corners. Once the 9 men escape they embark on a quest to find a treasure that their friend "The Counterfeit King" had hidden before his incarceration. When their search for the treasure ends, each person tries to capture the life they left behind before their imprisonment by the society that had already turned its back on them.

Junichi Fujisawa?s cinematography is beautiful. The deep reds and blues evoke an emotional response, which makes it easy to identify with the main characters. The lighting, use of color, and the prominence of wide-angle shots create an optimistic mood in the beginning then tears all of that optimism apart as the movie progresses.

Also, the score by Kiyoshi Kakizawa is equally mesmerizing. The music starts out whimsically as the titular characters escape, and then turns sinister and foreboding as the characters realize that the world they left behind has changed far too much for them to feel like they belong.

Although Ryuhei Matsuda is portrayed as the movie?s lead, his performance does not upstage any of the other actors. Mame Yamada is charming as, Shiratori, the dwarf doctor who acts as a father figure to the other convicts. Kiyohiko Shibukawa plays, Saruwatari, the hopeless romantic who finally gets the courage to propose to the woman of his dreams. Each of the roles compliments the others wonderfully.

This movie suffers from a few problems with cohesion. The treasure-hunting subplot dries up midway through the movie, making way for the resolution of each character?s story. The sharp contrast between the lighthearted first half and ominous second half at times, makes the movie seem too dichotomous. Certain scenes are touching and heartwarming, but they do not blend well with the overall themes of abandonment and alienation at this movie?s core.

As a character study, 9 Souls is excellent. This movie has its flaws, but the touching story about despicable people more than makes up for its shortcomings. It fells like this is Toyoda?s most personal movie yet. 9 Souls evokes a full range of emotions. It is hilarious, touching, chilling to the bone, and sometimes all three at once. While this is not a wonderful movie, 9 Souls shows that Toyoda is a director with great potential.