Japanese Reviews Reviews

Suspect X (Galileo) Movie Review

Suspect X is a mystery/drama from Japan with Chinese and English subtitles. The movie follows police officer Kaoru Utsumi (Kou Shibasaki) as she tries to solve the mystery of who strangled and mangled a man. However, as the mystery spirals out of control, she is forced to enlist the aid of the brilliant physicist Manabu Yukawa (Masaharu Fukuyama).

is a mystery/drama from Japan, the movie follows police officer Kaoru Utsumi () as she tries to solve the mystery of who strangled and mangled a man. However, as the mystery spirals out of control, she is forced to enlist the aid of the brilliant physicist Manabu Yukawa ().

Although he is able to figure out that the actual crime was committed by the brilliant mathematician Tetsuya Ishgami (Shinichi Tsutsumi), figuring out how and why he did it, as well as proving it, becomes the battleground between two men who were once colleagues.

As the plot around the murder deepens, romance blooms very quietly between Kaoru Utsumi and Manabu Yukawa, culminating in a climax that requires all characters to apply their logic and intelligence in order to win the day.

However, this movie is much more than a look at how two brilliant men, the murderer and the physicist, work to one up each other; it's also a story of how love can be seen in the same mathematical light; albeit, a much more subtle look that most romantic movies.

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Kaoru Utsumi

Kaoru Utsumi is a determined, passionate detective who tends to see things with her heart rather than her mind; something which often earns her the disrespect of her colleagues, and yet allows her to bring a great deal of perception to the solving of her cases.

Although she has solved many cases, this one requires her to enlist the help of an old classmate and a brilliant physicist named Manabu Yukawa. Manabu is brilliant, athletic, and handsome; and soon figures out that the murder was committed by an old school chum and highly intelligent mathematician named Tetsuya Ishgami.

The Cast

Suspect X stars Kou Shibasaki as police officer Kaoru Utsumi, Masaharu Fukuyama as physicist Manabu Yukawa and Shinichi Tsutsumi as the brilliant mathematician and murderer Tetsuya Ishgami. They are supported by Yasuko Matsuyuki and who play the downtrodden wife of the murdered man and the best sleuth in the field who earned a promotion, largely because of his work in more eccentric cases.

They are brought together by director and writer Keigo Higashino who also did the series ‘Galileo'. Suspect X is the first movie done with the same characters and setting as the series.

Conclusion

Suspect X is a very well done mystery touched with enough drama and romance to keep the story interesting for anyone with the intelligence to be able to read through the lines. This movie is not meant for anyone who needs things spelled out; you have to think like the characters and go beyond the face value in order to get the most out of this movie. However, if you can do this, you will find a deep, provocative and enjoyable movie that will probably make you want to watch the series as well.

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