A cross between The Silence Of The Lambs and Millennium, this Japanese noir thriller is effectively tense and stylish. Kaho Minami plays a strongly intuitive detective investigating an outbreak of mysterious, possibly cult-related murders on the Tokyo subway. Over the course of the investigation, she finds her identification with the murders increasing to a troubling degree; as a result, she's forced to confront her former mentor and lover, who may be involved with the crimes himself. Angel Dust is so well-made that its technical skill often obscures the fact that its blurring of the lines between investigator and crime has been done many times before. Nevertheless, director/co-writer Sogo Ishii has made a gripping crime drama with eye-catching visuals, interesting characters and unpredictable plot twists that more than compensate for its shopworn theme and puzzling, unsatisfying ending.
Keep scrolling for more great stories from The A.V. Club.