Originally posted on 11/18/18
More than just a courtroom drama--the actual trial takes up relatively little running time--THE THIRD MURDER, aka "Sandome no satsujin" (Film Movement Classics, 2017) is an intense character study as well as a somber morality play which eschews the usual thriller elements in order to put us into a deeply contemplative mood.
We witness a shocking murder--Misumi (Kôji Yakusho), still on parole after serving a lengthy prison sentence for double murder, bludgeons a man to death one night by the river and sets his body on fire.
After being apprehended, he fully confesses to the crime and is charged with robbery-murder. The only question is whether or not he'll get the death penalty.
They decide the best path is to lessen the charges against Misumi and seek life imprisonment, but with him changing his story with every interview, even this modest goal proves elusive.
Moreover, Shigemori's investigation into the case keeps turning up information that clouds the issue at every turn. Misumi is an enigma, almost eager to be found guilty even as evidence of extenuating circumstances continues to come to light.
He even seems to have a friendly relationship with the victim's disabled daughter Sakie (Suzu Hirose), who reminds him of his own long-estranged daughter. For her part, Sakie seems mysteriously conflicted regarding her father's killer, while her mother's behavior becomes increasingly suspect.
Thus, as the story becomes an engrossing, unpredictable legal procedural, the emotional elements give it a depth far beyond the usual crime dramas of this nature. All manner of questions about the human condition are subtly and quietly explored, with Shigemori's two partners representing the yin and yang of his moral dilemma in dealing with Misumi.
Performances are all fine, as nuanced and subdued as writer-director Hirokazu Koreeda's deceptively simple visual style. The story never resorts to melodrama or sensation, keeping a stately pace and somber, autumnal air of melancholy throughout.
The Blu-ray from Film Movement Classics is in 2.35:1 widescreen with 5.1 surround sound and 2.0 stereo. Japanese with English subtitles. Bonus features include a Palme d'Or-winning Chinese short film, "A Gentle Night", directed by Qiu Yang, along with a making-of featurette, messages from the cast, and a trailer.
Realistic and introspective, THE THIRD MURDER eschews cheap thrills for a slowburn series of revelations that keep us emotionally involved. It's absorbing, adult entertainment for both the heart and mind.
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