Cure (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

Cure follows a Detective, Takabe, as he investigates a series of bizarre murders around Tokyo, perpetrated (but not really?) by Mamiya, a former psychology student. Mamiya is obsessed with mesmerism, a magnetic force he studied to get people to bend to his will. When Mamiya meets Takabe, tensions flare, and we start to see another side to Takabe and the entire case, a side the pushes this movie from a simple detective story into a broadscale, totally mesmerizing horror film. Mamiya’s “will” is no longer his, but something much bigger and more menacing.I don’t even know where to start with this movie. It was so well done – the pacing, foreshadowing, the way it gives us just enough information to figure out some things but not others, the choices the director made about where to focus the camera shots and how long to hold them – are all brilliant. I wasn’t sure I was going to like this movie until about halfway through, when the horror element of it became clear. And then, I was completely unsettled. I mean, I have not been unsettled like this since watching the Exorcist at home alone at the age of ten.Cure is a movie you become hypnotized by. Masato Hagiwara’s performance as our antagonist, Mamiya, is insanely good. Probably one of the best villain performances I’ve ever seen. It’s so muted and unexpected that we can’t turn away from him. We can’t turn away from the horror building in front of us, like a chain of dominos falling. And then the ending comes, and we are left trying to piece things together in the best way possible. I flew straight to Reddit to see what other reviewers thought of the ending and what it all meant. We all took something different from it, and we all could see where the others were coming from, which speaks to the brilliance of the movie, which has it all: excellent screenplay, enlightened directing, and solid, disturbing performances by all its leads. Cure will be at the top of my best list for many years to come.

Every detail and aspect wind perfectly together to form one of the most coherent, captivating, and compelling pieces of horror I've seen. Gorgeous and grimy, but manages to deliver a serial killer film where fault is obscured and esoteric philosophy takes the forefront of blame. A carefully crafted take on the shadowcast obscure corners of human thought. Brilliant.

I went in completely blind and the minute the lighter clicked i knew what this was about but i did not see anything else coming. That was lightning in a bottle cinema and it cuts deep in your mind. Its just quiet enough and acted well enough to hear lines psychically delivered to each other in the silence.This is what Se7en or Hypnotic (2023) wishes it could be.

A captivating plot, a protagonist you care about, and an eerie (and memorable) antagonist. With those three things its hard for a movie to be bad.10/10

Hopefully this won’t be remade and dumbed down by Hollywood. It’s worth reading the subtitles sometimes. It does veer into some more unbelievable territory towards the end, but you’ll likely be so engrossed by everything that came before that you won’t mind. Highly recommended.

I was unsure when purchasing but as always criterion picked up in amazingly brilliant film for their collection. I'm very glad I purchased it even though it's not necessarily a genre I love I absolutely love the film didn't know anything about it going in, now know and am incredibly happy with my purchase. It's very hard to go wrong with criterion even though they charge a little bit more it's well worth it and you're going to get a film of incredible caliber even if it's not your style.

This film is absolutely remarkable. It comes from a very distinct time and place without ever outdating itself - it is bleak and beautiful in that ephemeral way of a dream that leaves you waxing nostalgic for something you’re not sure ever existed. The quality of this transfer is superb, and in keeping with the Criterion Collection standard it has heaps of extra material to get lost in. This is essential viewing, and this is most certainly the edition to own.

Movie was extremely hyped, and had its moments, but it’s a slow burn and the ending left some to be desired.