Review of Chaos / Curse, Death And Spirit

Introduction

Hideo Nakata is perhaps better known for his supernatural horrors like The Ring, which have re-invented the genre in recent years, and incidentally provided a moribund Hollywood a new source of films to remake in its own image, after mangling several French films in the eighties and nineties. However Nakata doesn`t solely dabble in the occult for inspiration, as the 1999 film Chaos shows.

After dining at an exclusive restaurant, a businessman and his wife are leaving the building when, as the man stops to pay the bill, his wife steps outside. When he follows his wife a few minutes later, the businessman can`t find her. He assumes that she has gone straight home, and knowing that he has an urgent meeting to attend he returns to his office and thinks nothing of it. That is until he receives a phone call from a man purporting to hold his wife and demanding a sizable ransom for her release.

And that is all that I can safely say without spoiling the rest of the film.

Video

The picture, transferred onto a PAL disc from an NTSC source is presented in a 1.78:1 anamorphic format. The image is a little soft, but is clear and well defined for the most part. The print is nice and clean, with little print damage to speak of. Darker scenes are grainy and indistinct though.

Audio

You get a choice of DD 2.0, DD 5.1 and DTS 5.1 Japanese soundtracks to accompany the film. The dialogue is clear, but the surrounds are used sparingly for establishing some ambience. They are useful in enhancing the film`s oppressive atmosphere, but the film remains predominantly front-focussed. Kenji Kawai`s music is used in moderation but effectively. English subtitles are provided to translate the dialogue and the occasional bit of Japanese text when required.

Features

With Chaos comes a 10 minute making of, adequately signposted with a large spoiler warning at the start imploring you to watch the film first. It`s your usual behind the scenes look, narrated and interspersed with film clips.

The Original Theatrical trailer on the other hand is not signposted for spoilers, although it should be.

An Asia Extreme Trailer Reel gives sneak peeks at Phone, Oldboy, Infernal Affairs 1 and 2, and Save The Green Planet.

By far the most substantial addition to this disc at 65 minutes, and probably that which will have fans of Nakata`s supernatural movies salivating is Curse, Death and Spirit. Presented in 4:3 regular with DD 2.0 sound, this is a collection of short films made for Japanese television, short stories intended to chill and spook viewers.

Story 1: A Cursed Doll
A young girl in a theatre group relates a spooky tale around candles, a tale about a strange doll she found in her house. But this is no fiction, as proved when one of the girls listening to the tale sees the spirit of the doll hovering behind the storyteller.

Story 2: Waterfall Of The Dead Spirit
After losing his father, a young boy withdraws into his grief. His mother, in an attempt to cheer her son up, takes him and her sister`s family on a camping trip to an idyllic spot overlooked by a waterfall. While playing, the boy sees an ethereal figure in the stream that beckons to him.

Story 3: An Inn Where A Ghost Lives.
Three friends on vacation book into a traditional inn steeped in history. One of the girls finds a mirrored chest fascinating, and also finds an old bottle of nail polish in it. When she puts the nail polish on, she begins to change.

Conclusion

Films like Chaos are equally a gift and curse to write about, and for the same reason. The need to avoid spoilers means that the preamble and the review will be nice and short, making life easier for your reviewer`s poor battered typing fingers. By the same token it becomes difficult to relate how good a film is, how intricately it is crafted, how well the characters are drawn and just how effective the film is in entertaining and navigating the twists and turns of a labyrinthine plot.

Chaos is most definitely a rewarding watch; the director uses that familiar mechanism of a fractured narrative to make the experience like peeling the layers of an onion. The story is never quite what it appears to be, the characters motivations seem to shift and change with each successive scene, and the film will keep you guessing right up until the end credits. It`s the kind of narrative used so successfully by Tarantino, and in films like Memento. The story is a Gordian knot of plot twists, and the character motivations, enhanced by some excellent performances from the cast, make this a delicious little psychological thriller. The film focuses on the characters and relationships as opposed to minutiae of plot and that raises my sole reservation with the film. Chaos doesn`t seem to be the film that will generate new rewards with successive viewings. While thoroughly enjoyable, it isn`t the kind of film that will fill Internet chatrooms with debates about minor plot twists and clues. Your appreciation for the film will most likely hinge on just how much you enjoy it on first viewing.

And that`s pretty much all I can safely say about Chaos, which makes it convenient that this disc comes bundled with Curse, Death and Spirit, three short stories directed by Hideo Nakata that cover the familiar ground of supernatural chillers, recognizable to fans of The Ring. I`m not a horror fan of note, and I was expecting little from these films. Initially they seemed to meet my expectations, with ropey effects, inconsistent acting, and generally low production values. Yet these films produced subtle, insidious chills, subliminal horror that lurks in the corner of the eye, but vanishes when you look head on at it. The stories are short, but perfectly formed and provide entertainment approaching the quality of the main feature.

Chaos is my first foray into the world of Hideo Nakata, and it was a satisfying journey. The film is an effective psychological thriller that entertains from beginning to end. As an added bonus, the trio of Curse, Death and Spirit provide an added soupcon of spookiness.