The Crimes That Bind (2018)

I watched this film knowing nothing apart from the plot summary on IMDB. Which itself is pretty confusing. But I am glad that I did.

The story follws detective Kaga who gets entangled in a murder which might have some connection to his estranged mother who had died 16 years ago. He along with his cousin set out to solve the mystery which brings out facts and relations that were better hidden.

The best way to describe the movie is to compare it with the Suspect X franchise. If you have whated it, you know how Japanese murder mystries work. This one is similar to that genre but severely more complex. The film not only explores a murder but also relations between various people. Anything is not what it seems. While the initial part of the film may point towards a hardened criminal, we find out that all the events are more personal than one might think. And the director does a fantastic job in weaving a web that connects all the dots together. As I said earlier the story is very complex and had me confused in the beginning specially with so many Japanese names and characters that were hard to remember. There were scene changes follwed by explicitally written narative and I found it weird. But I realized halfway through the film that those were necessary to actually understand the plot and keep the veiweres on track. It took me sometime to grasp everything but I was insync with the film thanks to the amazing editing and a realistic portrayal of a police investigation. The movie is around 2 hours long but is paced brilliantly. I was nevre bored as the story unfolded layer after layer before my eyes. The director took his time to explain the plot but it was never dull. The length seemed necessary to introduce and develop the character and it was done beatifully. Its not always that you sympathize with every single chatracter. And that is the USP of this film. You learn something by every passing minute and every theory atht you have in your mind is flushed down the drain. In the beginning some connection are made very easily and looks like the crime is solved. But the very next moment the films contradicts itself and makes itself more complex. That is the charm of this movie. It cathes your attention from the very beginning and never lets it go. It dives in to become a cheap and unthought thriller and hits you right back in the face when you think so with a logical plot twist.

I would advise everyone looking for a genuine and intelligent murder mystery to wathc this.

Review by subratjain1