Cinemaphile
by Joanne Sargent
It seems like an open-and-shut case.
A murder took place – we witnessed it in the first scenes of the movie. The suspect, Misumi, has confessed and is willing to accept whatever the justice system has in store for him. He is fine with either incarceration (he’s already served some major prison time for previous murders) or the death penalty. His lawyer, Shigemori, is not… he feels compelled to do his duty to his client and find extenuating circumstances. The relationship between the elite attorney and the murderer who admits his guilt is the thrust of the Japanese film The Third Murder.
In contrast to the usual law-and-order tales, the more the lawyer uncovers about the case, the murkier everything appears. In his quest to save Misumi from the death penalty, Shigemori scours the crime scene and the evidence and begins to see inconsistencies which lead him to question the confession. It doesn’t help that Misumi has the unnerving habit of frequently changing the details of his confession, which makes it hard to hone in on a consistent defense strategy.
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What happened on that fateful night and why becomes increasingly difficult to know. Several critics have called it a “whydoneit.” Did Misumi kill his boss and burn his body as a robbery? Was the dead man’s wife complicit in the crime? Did he do it to protect the man’s daughter? Is that what he won’t reveal? Nothing is entirely clear. The confusion is as frustrating as it is fascinating.
Hirokazu Kore-eda is a master filmmaker in his native Japan and he stakes out some unusual territory here with a fresh take on the legal thriller. He investigates the elusiveness of truth and its relation to guilt, innocence and justice as administered by the Japanese legal system. The first hour is fascinating as the question for motive is explored. The single incident of the murder has many unexpected facets that unpeel like layers of an onion.
The second hour of courtroom drama drags a little but in total the film is an intriguing moral puzzle encompassing many aspects, which will stay with you long after its over.
The Third Murder is subtitled and is showing at 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 22 at the Salmar Classic Theatre.
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