Kiyoshi Kurosawa's breakout film Cure released in 1997 and, over the years, has become both a cult classic and darling of modern directors. Uniquely disturbing and brilliant, Cure begins as a police procedural and then dives into a totally unique atmosphere of dread as the mesmerist Mamiya confounds his rival, the detective Takabe. The film uses visuals and background sound to hypnotize the audience while treating violence as almost incidental or inconsequential, leading to a sickening mismatch between on-screen action and tone. A masterpiece of story and direction, Cure also delivers incredible performances from the two lead actors, Koji Yakusho and Masato Hagiwara.

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