There were much more graphic scenes than I expected from watching the trailer, some people even left the theater right after the movie started.

Aside from that, some parts were confusing (why that photo of Eriko and Yamato was among the grandmother's things? Kaoru was the victim who first escaped? She looked like an adult when she was "picked". Wouldn't she be able to identify him?) and it wasn't very clear how police began to suspect that Yamato was the killer.

Overall, the movie kept us on the edge of our seats and had a few surprising plot twists but I wish I could unsee the torture scenes.

A riveting mystery thriller by Kazuya Shiraishi, one of Japan's more prominent modern directors.

It's surprisingly emotional as it proceeds about its plot in a procedural fashion. Lonely teenager receives a letter by convicted serial killer who claims one of the murders wasn't actually done by him. Great premise for a thriller, isn't it? But there's more than meets the eye here. There are complex family dynamics and child abuse present in the background, constantly putting this in a more challenging and demanding territory than if it was a standard mystery.

Shiraishi ably directs this film, giving his actors plenty of opportunities to show their worth, and they do. Kenshi Okada as our protagonist, student-turned-sleuth Kakei Masaya, is capable of holding his own even if he isn't actually the main draw in the acting performances here. That would be Sadao Abe as the chilling serial killer. He steals almost every scene he's in, sporting a lot of charisma but always off as a person like that probably would be. He's alternately sinister and calm, sometimes revealing his utter lack of morality and emotion. Those sequences, often stylishly juxtaposing his image with Kakei's during his prison visits, are the film's most effective.

The visuals are quite atmospheric and appealing too. The overall production value, in fact, is at a high level all around. There's no shortage of style or substance. Compared to another recent Japanese serial killer thriller, Missing, this one is more straightforward, but provides plenty of quality content of its own. The downsides aren't numerous, but one of them deserves a mention, though. That would be the film's insistence on drawing out the ending until it starts souring the film's impact a bit. There were scenes which would have perfectly bookended the story, but they kept on revealing more unnecessary twists and turns. You would hope they'd know better than that.

Overall, though, I was pretty satisfied with this rainy mystery. It's one for those cold evenings with a hot drink by your side. :)

This movie 1st act promised a lot of things. A serial killer got caught, trialled and sentenced to death. But he refused one killing among others. A young law college student was mailed by him and over time agreed to help him. Sounds really exciting for a thriller movie, right?!

But it went downhill after that. The 2nd act especially was the weakest. Unnecessary side plots and characters, confusing characters development and many loose end that made viewers scratched their heads. And don't ask me about the ending, cause it really put the last nail in the coffin. Such a shame, it could have been a great thriller movie.

Disappointing 6/10.