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Doppelganger (2003)

 
 
 

Synopsis of Doppelganger

Yuka (Hiromi Nagasaku) is an attractive young woman whose brother has recently died under mysterious circumstances. Shortly before his untimely death, Yuka got her first glimpse of his double, who has since moved into their apartment and taken his place. Hayasaki (Koji Yakusho) is a brilliant but mercurial scientist obsessed with perfecting a robot chair for the disabled, with wheels and mechanical arms that are supposed to function according to the "will" of the user. In his single-mindedness, he harangues his underlings and aggravates his employer, who is focused on the bottom line. After a co-worker tells Hayasaki about Yuka's experience, he finds himself being stalked by a doppelganger. At first, he thinks he is doomed, like Yuka's brother, and tries to avoid his double. Eventually, he loses his job, and control of his invention, and the doppelganger steps in to take care of everything. The double trashes Hayasaki's former lab, stealing the robot chair so the scientist can continue his work. The double also hires a young thug, Kimishima (Yusuke Santamaria), to work for them. The double says Kimishima is "just dumb enough not to find us alarming." But Hayasaki's fears come to the fore when the double takes advantage of Yuka's interest in him. And when his former employer, Aoki (Masahiro Toda), now disgraced, comes looking for a piece of the robot-chair action, the scientist finds himself uncertain who to trust. Doppelganger, a dark comedy directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Cure) from a script by Kurosawa and Ken Furusawa, was shown at the 2004 Rotterdam Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Theatrical Feature Running Time:
107 mins

Complete Cast of Doppelganger


Director(s):
Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Writer(s):
Furusawa TakeshiKiyoshi KurosawaKen Furusawa
Producer(s):
Atsuyuki ShimodaShimoda AtsuyukiSato Atsushi
Theatrical MPAA Rating:
R
Categories:
Horror
Warning:  This product is intended for mature audiences only. It may contain violence, sexual content, drug abuse and/or strong language. You must be 17 or older to purchase it. By ordering this item you are certifying that you are at least 17 years of age.

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    Jay and Yuko F.

    As with much of Kiyoshi Kurosawa's work, there are some nice images here, but the story is difficult to follow and seems disjointed and unbelievable at best. While Kiyoshi Kurosawa may have a pile of money, some nice cameras, and a famous movie name, Kiyoshi Kurosawa does not have Akira Kurosawa's (the real Kurosawa) ability to tell a story using images, or any particular ability to make good films. If you've seen any of Kiyoshi Kurosawa's other films, you'll understand what I mean. However, this film was better than Kiyoshi's other films, so hopefully he's getting better. The best parts of this film are due mainly to the acting talent of Koji Yakusho (Babel, Memoirs of a Geisha, Tampopo, etc.) Not a particularly bad film, just not particularly good either.

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    CHRISTOPHER D.

    If you are snowed in and have nothing else better to do, like shoveling your driveway and sidewalk, then this movie is for you. Suspension of disbelief is often necessary in order to enjoy many similar movies, but this particular movie also wants you to abandon common sense and rational thought. Example: (spoiler alert) If a complete stranger started to follow me around and showed up in my apartment uninvited, they would at least have the police called on them. The main character does not do this and displays no common sense AT ALL. Alas, this DVD is not a total waste, it can be used as a mirror to reflect sunlight and call for help.

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    Denna B.

    If you liked "Old Boy", you might like this movie. The concept of the story is original. And the filmmakers did a great job in making Koji Yakusho appear as two different characters that seamlessly interact and speak with each other. The movie starts off on a serious tone, leading you to believe that this might be a science fiction story. However, by the end of the movie, the story awkwardly turns into a dark comedy. In fact, the ending may provoke a "What ?" response and make you wonder what type of movie you just watched. The only notable negative regarding the film was the picture quality. It wasn't sharp and looked pasty, and in some scenes, the picture was too dark. There is a DTS audio option, but surround sound usage was minimal. As for extras, there is a promotional trailer, a "The Making of Doppelganger" feature (19:33 minutes), an "Interview" feature (5:18 minutes) involving the director and four Tartan movie trailers. Definitely recommended.

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