Chaos

The other reviews are quite right--"Chaos" is a very confusing film that might necessitate a second viewing to understand all the plot twists. This confusion is deliberate and the film is OFTEN out of sequence--further muddying the plot. It also has MANY similarities to great suspense films like Cluzot's "Les Diaboliques" and Hitchcock's "Vertigo".

The film begins with a man getting a phone call from a man announcing that he's just kidnapped his wife--and to get her back he must give him 30,000,000 yen (about $300,000 American). The husband goes to the police and you assume that he'll either get the wife back or the kidnapper will kill her. However, NOTHING happens...no word...nothing. Now there is a TON of stuff that follows--but I don't really want to say more as it will spoil the film. Suffice to say, that what you've seen so far isn't exactly what's really happening...and to truly understand, you'll need to keep watching and keep paying close attention.

I like movies that make me think and offer twists. Although the twists are familiar (hence my mentioning the two movies above), the film is done very well. The only reason I don't score the film higher is that the very last scene in the film really made little sense and was not particularly satisfying. Still, it's well worth your time.

Having tried the two "Ring" films and "Dark Water", I had all but given up on the Japanese horror director, Hideo Nakata. The problem for me is that ("It's a Wonderful Life", "Portrait of Jenny" and the marvellous Japanese "After Life" excepted) I find the paranormal in cinema something of a turn-off. True, these examples are humanist not horror films but even quite respectable ghost stories such as "Blithe Spirit" and "The Ghost and Mrs Muir" don't exactly grab me. I suppose the "Monihara" segment of Satyajit Ray's "Teen Kanya" is the one great piece of supernatural horror cinema I know although one must never forget all those versions of "Hamlet" and Macbeth". If there are monsters out there trying to do unthinkable things to other people then I would prefer them to be human for the simple reason that their very believability makes them ten times more chilling than dreamt up phantoms. Imagine my delight therefore when I discovered an engrossing piece of Grand Guignol by Nakata, his "Chaos" of 1999. From comments and reviews there appear to be several that find the plot complicated to the point of incomprehensibility. I would caution patience as it is a work that needs to be seen several times to be fully understood. When one eventually gets there (for me on a third viewing) the rewards are enormous. Everything fits together in a most diabolically clever way. To give even an inch of the plot away could reduce the pleasure of untangling it. Suffice to say that there are echoes here of "Les Diaboliques" and "Vertigo". By placing "Chaos" on this high level I could not praise it more.

After the huge success in recent years of the Ring movies and Dark Water, i was looking forward to watch this movie as I've become a big fan of those aforementioned films. Chaos though is not a horror, and is instead a taut thriller surrounding a kidnapping of a women by a young man which is not what it seems (which is what the "Chaos" title is referring to).

As expected from the director, as per his other movies, the direction and camera work is excellent, and the female lead is the main gist of the movie, haunting the viewer and being the centre-point of the action. The female lead is excellent but is well complimented by her male colleagues in the film.

The main drawback is though that the script simply is not as intriguing as the filmmakers believe it is, and to be quite honest, it can be very predictable. Twists and turns keep your attention, and you will enjoy it, but i find the movie was a lost opportunity for something stronger. It is not a disappointment, but the director here has produced something below his high standards.

Overall, a fair thriller which most will enjoy, just don't expect something to keep you thinking and talking for days on end like some of his other films.

Hideo Nakata, director of RINGU (1988), followed up his spooky international hit with this complex and compelling thriller in which a beautiful woman hires a handyman to kidnap her, with the hope of winning back her cheating husband's attention. But things soon begin to go awry when the amateur-kidnapper-for-hire returns to his hideout to find the 'captive' woman dead, and then receives a mysterious phone call instructing him to dispose of the body.

As the film gradually unfolds, we learn, via the use of various interesting storytelling techniques, that there is much more to his predicament than at first meets the eye.

With a choppy non-linear narrative that requires full attention from the viewer, Chaos is definitely not an easy film to follow (particular if you choose to watch with subtitles), but those who do make the effort to keep track of events will be rewarded with an effective and inventive slow-burner. With more twists and turns than a python doing the samba, this movie constantly surprises, and only a rather abrupt ending stops the film from being a truly 'great' experience.

If you're a not a fan of Nakata's supernatural work, don't let that put you off from seeing this intriguing movie; a different kettle of fish altogether, Chaos is well worth giving a go.

Chaos (1999) was an nice follow up to Ringu. This film's a nice change of pace. One day a rich man and his wife are eating lunch. She decides to step out to get some fresh air, hubby goes outside to meet her and she's gone! Befuddled, Hubby tries to call the police but is contacted by the kidnapper. During this time we're introduced to a divorced handy man. He meets a young lady who offers him some money if she does a job for him. He wants him to kidnap her. What seems like easy money gets this guy into a situation that's way over his head.

This film would have made Hitchcock pleased. It's filled with a lot of plot twists, betrayals and confusion. The direction by Nakata is excellent, he creates a sense of chaos that's extremely effective. If you like movies that spoon feed you information then this is not for you. However if you're a fan of mystery thrillers, you'll eat this one up.

Highly recommended.