Suspect X: The Galileo Movie
March 4, 2009
Yogisha no Kenshin 2009 (The Sacrifice of Suspect X)
Starring Fukuyama Masaharu and Shibasaki Kou
Professor Yukawa is back crime-solving with his sullen, not-too-bright-but-feisty sidekick Detective Utsumi. A spin-off from TV Series Tantei Galileo (or simply Galileo), this movie will certainly appeal to Galileo’s fanbase.
It has a solid, well-thought out storyline, but adheres so closely to the TV format that it lacks the extra spark required for the big screen and might not win any extra converts, depending on how much one likes detective dramas.
Tsutsumi Shinichi and Matsuyuki Yasuko turns in convincing performances as the hikkomori-esque Mathematics genuis Ishigami and the “frail but sexy” ex-hostess Hanaoka Yasuko, but it is Tsutsumi Shinichi who shines in a role that requires more staidness and subtlety than emotions. Apparently, he is a classically trained actor who brought his talents to TV and I guess it shows.
Fans of Kitamura Kazuki will rejoice as the eye candy gets more screen time than in the TV series put together, but his character is really quite minor and unimportant in the big scheme of things. Fans of Watanabe Ikkei’s comic performance in the TV series will be disappointed because he gets little screentime in contrast. Perhaps the editor favored dramatic tension over comic relief.
The trusty soundtrack (which you can listen to here: http://www.imeem.com/biggirl20/music/Ujbu4yiL/galileo-ost-tantei-galileo/) of the TV series continues to work its magic on the big screen, to great effect – actually better than the small screen because of better audio.
Overall, I’d reccomend this movie for fans of Galileo, Fukuyama Masaharu, Tsutsumi Shinichi (he really does great! – I can’t praise him more), Japanese movies in general, but don’t bother if you are looking for an entertaining movie on its own – this is definitely a product that rides on the coatails of the TV series.
The murder in question is a carefully – even merticulously staged show, but relies on a trick of mind, rather than some intricate scientific calculation worthy of our resident physics genuis. The movie to the TV series, is like elementary maths compared to post-graduate mathematics. It is logical to conclude that the underlying theme of the movie is more about Love – and as the title emphasizes, the sacrifice of the murder suspect.
