Someone is bloodshed Japan’s most infamous criminals: murderers, remedy dealers, corrupt politicians, each the same collapsing of a fatal heart attack with no clue as to the identity of the killer, or his methods. A cult springs up: to some, the mystical executioner is an avenging angel, to others a brutal vigilante. He is, in fact, law student Light Yagami, whose keeping of the furtive ‘Death Note’ allows him to kill anyone, anywhere, at any time.
Adapted from a popular Japanese TV series (itself inspired by a long running manga), ‘Death Note’ carries a lot of narrative baggage, populated with enigmatic characters and sporting random subplots evidently unconnected to the critical narrative.
But such a yesterday also lends the take weight and confidence, its complex mythology convincingly mapped outside. The first half moves at a breakneck pace as Light’s death spree gathers power. But towards the end things cultivate darker and more complex, leading to a satisfyingly emotive and unresolved finale and leaving the door roomy for the unchangeable and agreeable follow-up.