JAPANESE MOVIE FESTIVAL REVIEW: PLATINUM DATA



*  *  *


In future police implemented the new technology of DNA recognition. When everyone’s DNA is stored in the main database called PLATINUM DATA it becomes impossible to get away with any crime. But then a terrible murder occurs inside the headquarters of the PLATIMUM DATA institute. When the head scientist of the program, a young genius Ryuhei Kagura tests DNA of the culprit he finds that computer incriminates him. Believing that something had gone wrong deep in the system itself he becomes a fugitive. A detective named Reiji Asama, who had never approved of the program on the first place, is hot in pursuit.

PLATINUM DATA is a cross between the MINORITY REPORT and THE FUGITIVE. Bring in the split personality issues and some BIG BROTHER twists and here’s is a new angle of a familiar story. PLATINUM DATA is an action film at its best with the chases, explosions and a murder mystery to compliment. With the running time of over two hours the movie is amazingly easy to watch. It is entertaining and twisted and apart from a couple unresolved storylines it will not disappoint.

Disappointing is the character development and some credibility issues. There are many fabulous reviews of this film on the net and I wanted to love it with every fibre of my heart. In the end it was just one of those action flicks you will easily dismiss and forget about when the final credits will roll.

PLATINUM DATA is based on a bestselling novel and I believe a book would be much more entertaining. Especially the unfortunate who-dun-it part, the resolution of which you can see miles away. In the end the movie simply does not have one of this crazy sequences everyone will be talking about, like CARY CRANT running away from a plane in  NORTH BY NORTHWEST or TOM CRUISE jumping from one moving car to another in MINORITY REPORT.

There’s nothing that puts it apart from many other action flicks and a very simple resolution of so-called mystery did not help to appreciate a could-have-been high concept. 

But some interesting ideas simply cannot be dismissed. In a digital age, when personality is nothing but a set of numbers in an online catalogue, what does it take for a human soul to prove that it is unique, and what does it take to survive? 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

We'll End Up Together - Nous Finirons Ensemble (French Movie Review)

Image
10/10 Max has a sixtieth birthday coming up. The problem is he is broke, divorced and depressed. When a group of his best friends show up at his doorstep to help him celebrate, he reluctantly agrees to spend a few days with them, but won’t explain what’s going on in his personal life. When ones darkest moments come, will friendship conquer all? Seven years after the breakout success of the film Little White Lies (Les Petits Mouchoirs) comes the long anticipated sequel and it is worth the wait. The success of WE’LL END UP TOGETHER is not in its rather predictable plot, but the chemistry on screen, the characters that we recognise ourselves and our friends in, and the amazing warm atmosphere that makes one believe there’s no problem a good dinner with friends won’t sort out.  Written and directed by much loved French actor and director  Guillaume Canet this movie feels like a welcome return home to those who have seen the original and will also welcome new viewership - the film c
Read more

KOREAN MOVIE REVIEW: MEMOIR OF A MURDERER

Image
8/10 Byung-su is an elderly veterinarian who has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. He has a caring daughter who does all she can to make his life easier, and a policemen friend whose name Byung-su forgets from time to time. He also goes to a poetry club (in order to keep his mind exercised) where a lonely widow makes advances at him. But there’s one thing that sets Byung-su apart from the other senior citizens of his little town – he is a serial killer.  When a new wave of killings begin Byung-su starts to suspect that a young man who is dating his daughter is the culprit. Trying to keep the remains of his memories together Byung-su writes extensive journals. But what if his memories are actually real? Losing his grip on reality he goes head to head with the new serial killer in order to protect the only life he cares about in the world – his daughter’s. Before Dexter came around Koreans had excelled in creating charismatic killers as protagonists of the films
Read more

MSFF: DEATH IN BUENOS AIRES (MUERTE EN BUENOS AIRES)

Image
3 1/2 /5 It's year 1980 and we are in Buenos Aires. The wealthy gay man is murdered  and inspector Chaves is on the case. In order to find the culprit he has to plunge into the world of gay nightclubs, drugs and sex. But what is it with the young and handsome officer Gomes, who was the first on the crime scene, and seems to place himself with ease as a mole into a gay community? Is he trying to catch the killer? Or hiding something? As suspicions arise, Chaves is haunted by the feelings he does not understand. Will the fatal attraction to a younger man help him to solve the case, or be his undoing? First time director Natalie Meta is "spot on" on the upbeat atmosphere of the 80s without too much expense. She cleverly uses the pop tunes, over-the-top clothes and many other ingredients to recreate the time. The murder mystery is secondary, and the movie is focused on the relationship between the two men, full of innuendoes and mistrust. The very simple cinema
Read more