The only guy who can save his family is the criminal he's transporting. Awkward.
Mizusawa (Takenouchi Yutaka), an explosives expert, is arrested and charged with a string of bank robberies. Because he is a flight risk, Detective Kayama (Ogata Ken) is assigned to transport Mizusawa to Shizuoka for questioning. On the way, Kayama receives word that the hotel where his wife and daughter are attending a party has been rigged with a time bomb. Being a "by-the-book" kind of cop, Kayama refuses to abandon his job and return to help his family. Meanwhile, the hotel is swarming with police and the bomb squad who are searching for the bomb and the culprit. Time is almost up. Mizusawa claims that he is the only who who can deactivate the bomb.
Direction
Hayashi crams real-time dread into cramped spaces with surgical precision.
Acting
Takenouchi's smirking menace vs. Ogata's rigid suffering—chef's kiss.
Editing
Cross-cutting between car and hotel builds exquisite, sweaty panic.
Director
Kaizo Hayashi
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Made for Japanese TV but shot with theatrical scope; Hayashi was known for experimental noir like Maiku hama.
The 'company man' cop archetype hits different in 2003 Japan—Kayama's rigidity reads as critique, not virtue.
JP
