The Crimes That Bind

2018 [JAPANESE]

Mystery / Thriller

Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 80%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 80%
IMDb Rating 7.0/10 10 1618 1.6K

based on novel or book tokyo, japan revenge motive family tragedy murder investigation ninhonbashi

Plot summary

Michiko Oshitani, who lived in Shiga Prefecture, is found dead at an apartment in Tokyo. She was strangled to death. Mutsuo Koshikawa is the owner of the apartment and he goes missing. Detectives including Yuhei Matsumiya who is a cousin of Detective Kyoichiro Kaga , have difficulties in solving the case. They can't find a connection between Michiko Oshitani and Mutsuo Koshikawa. They soon learn that Michiko Oshitani came to Tokyo to visit Hiromi Asai . They graduated from the same school, but there isn't a connection between Hiromi Asai and Mutsuo Koshikawa. Detective Yuhei Matsumiya finds something near Michiko Oshitani's body. That something has the names of 12 bridges surrounding the Nihonbashi area of Tokyo. Detective Kyoichiro Kaga learns of the clue and becomes agitated. There's a connection with his late mother

Director

Katsuo Fukuzawa Photo
Katsuo Fukuzawa

Top cast

Hiroshi Abe Photo
Hiroshi Abe as Kyôichiro Kaga
Tsutomu Yamazaki Photo
Tsutomu Yamazaki as Takamasa Kaga
Setsuko Karasuma Photo
Setsuko Karasuma as Yasuyo Miyamoto
Hiroko Nakajima Photo
Hiroko Nakajima as Michiko Oshitani
720p.BluRay 1080p.BluRay
1.07 GB
1280*694
Japanese 2.0
NR
Subtitles jp  
23.976 fps
1 hr 59 min
Seeds 12
2.2 GB
1920*1040
Japanese 5.1
NR
Subtitles jp  
23.976 fps
1 hr 59 min
Seeds ...

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by 8 / 10

a perfect introduction to what detective Kaga's mysteries are about

Welcome to the world of Keigo Higashino, one of the Japanese most prolific writers. His books always feature multiple story lines, complicated relationships and heart wrenching drama. Mostly interested in how and why rather than who, this is an unusual approach to crime mystery writing, but it doesn't make it any less entertaining.The plot of THE CRIMES THAT BIND is practically indescribable, it starts with a decomposed body of a woman found in an abandoned apartment. A homeless man is burned to death nearby. How are the two incidents connected? Switching between the past and the present and with the help of detective Kaga, whose childhood seems to be deeply entwined with the case, a tragic story of a family that was separated, but never truly lost the sight of one another, is unveiled.There's a lot going on in the film, there are many characters, but the story never loses its focus. It is a rare case when the creator (Higashino) throws his favourite detective Kaga into the middle of the action. He is usually pretty detached and just follows the clues.The cinematography is fantastic, perfectly capturing Japan's daily life. And the likeable characters make you invest in the story early on.THE CRIMES THAT BIND is a perfect introduction to what detective Kaga's mysteries are about. Hugely popular in Japan and slowly but steadily conquering the world, this intelligent and dramatic story is worth your time.
Reviewed by 7 / 10

An intriguing murder mystery

I watched this film knowing nothing apart from the plot summary on IMDB. Which itself is pretty confusing. But I am glad that I did.The story follws detective Kaga who gets entangled in a murder which might have some connection to his estranged mother who had died 16 years ago. He along with his cousin set out to solve the mystery which brings out facts and relations that were better hidden.The best way to describe the movie is to compare it with the Suspect X franchise. If you have whated it, you know how Japanese murder mystries work. This one is similar to that genre but severely more complex. The film not only explores a murder but also relations between various people. Anything is not what it seems. While the initial part of the film may point towards a hardened criminal, we find out that all the events are more personal than one might think. And the director does a fantastic job in weaving a web that connects all the dots together. As I said earlier the story is very complex and had me confused in the beginning specially with so many Japanese names and characters that were hard to remember. There were scene changes follwed by explicitally written narative and I found it weird. But I realized halfway through the film that those were necessary to actually understand the plot and keep the veiweres on track. It took me sometime to grasp everything but I was insync with the film thanks to the amazing editing and a realistic portrayal of a police investigation. The movie is around 2 hours long but is paced brilliantly. I was nevre bored as the story unfolded layer after layer before my eyes. The director took his time to explain the plot but it was never dull. The length seemed necessary to introduce and develop the character and it was done beatifully. Its not always that you sympathize with every single chatracter. And that is the USP of this film. You learn something by every passing minute and every theory atht you have in your mind is flushed down the drain. In the beginning some connection are made very easily and looks like the crime is solved. But the very next moment the films contradicts itself and makes itself more complex. That is the charm of this movie. It cathes your attention from the very beginning and never lets it go. It dives in to become a cheap and unthought thriller and hits you right back in the face when you think so with a logical plot twist.I would advise everyone looking for a genuine and intelligent murder mystery to wathc this.
Reviewed by 8 / 10

still one of my favour

As a big fan of Keigo Higashio, I love the way how the movie describes sacrifice yourself for the loved one. This movie lets me recall of "Journey under the mid-light sun" about life is always bitter. I have been touched by the deepest love of fatherhood and motherhood. One scene impressed me very much that after Asai seeing Kaga's face, she immediately confirmed that Kaga's as a gentle-hearted person, it is not only from her basic perception , but the more is from the sincerity of his father's love. When it comes to ending, I cannot only burn my brain, but also dropping my tears. That is the power of Higashio.
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