Opening Day: 22 October 2009

Synopsis:

Christmas time in Rome.

A man arrives in the city upon news of a potential terrorist strike in Italy. He is Japanese foreign diplomat, Kosaku Kuroda (Yuji Oda), and he’s here under orders of his supervisor at the Foreign Ministry, Hiroshi Kataoka (Kiichi Nakai), to aid in the safeguarding of Japanese citizens. Kuroda’s main contacts at the Japanese embassy consist of Ambassador Kikuhara (Akira Onodera), Counselor Nishino (Shiro Sano), and fellow diplomatic envoys Haba (Nene Ohtsuka) and Tanimoto (Atsushi Ito). All are busy preparing for the visit of Japanese Foreign Minister Kawagoe (Mitsuru Hirata) due to arrive for the high-profile G8 foreign minister’s meeting. Meanwhile, somewhere on the festively-lit streets of the city, a young Japanese girl has suddenly gone missing. Is it an abduction simply for ransom? Or could it be a prelude to terror?

Movie Review:

There is a legend that Hercules fell in love with a nymph called Amalfi. When she died, Hercules was heartbroken and he searched the world over for the most beautiful place on earth to bury his one true love. That place was the Amalfi coast, which was then named in her honour. It is a stretch of coastline on the southern side of Italy renowned for its rugged terrain, scenic beauty, and picturesque towns.

If there’s one thing that "Amalfi" does splendidly, it is in capturing the beauty of Amalfi- and not just Amalfi in fact, just about all the tourist sites in Bella Italia where the film is set and was shot. Contrary to what you may expect, most of the film is set not in Amalfi but Rome, so expect to see beautifully framed shots of the Coliseum, the Forum or the Spanish Steps. And unlike the other Hollywood thriller also set in Rome (yes, I’m talking about Angels and Demons), cinematographer Hideo Yamamoto and director Hiroshi Nishitani actually give you plenty of time to take in the sights and sounds of the city.

The comparison between "Amalfi" and "Angels and Demons" isn’t that farfetched- both play as a race against time around the magnificent backdrop of Rome. In "Amalfi", the one doing all the running is diplomat Kosaku Kuroda (Yuji Oda) assigned to the Japanese embassy in Rome. Just before the Japanese foreign minister is due to arrive for the G8 summit, a single mom’s only daughter is kidnapped and Kuroda takes it upon himself to attempt to secure the child’s release.

But unlike the fast-paced "Angels and Demons", "Amalfi" is somewhat of a more languid affair. There are moments that are truly engaging, especially when Kuroda is on the facts of the case trying to unravel the mystery behind. But the pacing of this suspense thriller suffers greatly when director Hiroshi Nishitani pauses to allow any form of character development, in particular that between Kuroda and the single mom Saeko (Yuki Amami). While Oda and Amami are both competent actors, Nishitani (who also adapted the novel) fails to establish much of an emotional connection between them.

So one is left waiting for the big payoff- indeed, the big reveal- that is supposed to keep you riveted in your seat. Credit must go to Nishitani for his ambition, for "Amalfi’s" plot goes beyond the mere kidnapping to even (gasp!) international terrorism (a rarity for Japanese films). Yes, there are plenty of red herrings thrown around, and Nishitani keeps his cards so close to his chest that he doesn’t give you much chance to guess what’s next. Sadly, each plot twist only makes the story more ludicrous and Nishitani’s ambition is ultimately let down by his execution.

That is a pity- because Nishitani is also the director of the tautly crafted and far-superior Suspect X. But he loses his sure-footedness about halfway through the movie’s rather obvious 125-minute runtime and doesn’t quite manage to win your attention back again. The one actor holding the weight of the entire movie together is Oda. The veteran film and TV actor possesses more than enough screen charisma to measure up to Tom Hanks’ Robert Langdon.

Because of the obvious similarities in plot and location that both "Amalfi" and "Angels and Demons" share, it’s inevitable one will be compared to the other. But if you’re looking for a gripping action thriller, then you should go catch the latter instead. If you don’t mind spending your time watching a travelogue of the places to go in Italy, with a dash of implausible intrigue thrown in, then you won’t mind visiting "Amalfi".

Movie Rating:



(Thanks to its fascinating backdrop, this thriller is always beautiful to look at- even if it isn’t actually always thrilling)

Review by Gabriel Chong