DEATH NOTE: THE LAST NAME

Director: Shusuke Kaneko

Stars: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Ken'ichi Matsuyama, Erika Toda, Takeshi Kaga, Nana Katase

Year: 2006

Rating: NR

(in Japanese w/English subtitles)

Picking up pretty much right where the first film left off, Death Note: The Last Name is less a sequel than it is a continuation of the first film. When I saw the first, it was without knowledge that a second one even existed - and when Death Note ended on an almost gut-crunching cliffhanger, only to show a trailer for the "sequel" after the end credits, it was all I could do to wait until I got my hands on the second film (which officially releases in the USA on 10 February 2009, by the way). Now having watched it, I'm sorry to see the end of the road here; Death Note was one of the best films I saw in 2008, and it was truly difficult saying goodbye to these characters with this second film (though, fortunately, I also have L: Change the World - a spin-off film featuring the character of Light, played by Ken'ichi Matsuyama - that I'm anxious to see). Even so, I'm glad I got to see this inventive film at last; it was well worth the wait.

(NOTE: Reviews here don't ever contain spoilers, but it would probably behoove you to see the first Death Note before reading this review. Or, at least, read my review of the first film, which can be found in the archives on this blog, before reading this one. Just a warning. It'll also save you some confusion, probably.)

Death Note: The Last Name picks up where the first left off, all right - with Light Yagami (Tatsuya Fujiwara, quickly become one of my favorite actors) having succeeded in not only throwing off any suspicions by the police that he is indeed mastermind killer Kira ... but also accomplishing his goal of actually joining the police task force (led by his own police chief father) in their hunt to find and bring Kira to justice. From this new vantage point, Light is assured of being able to track the cops' every move, therefore making it that much harder for the police to ever get too close to discovering that he actually is Kira - the now-world famous "god of justice" who has been singlehandedly lowering crime rates around the world (but particularly in Japan) by killing off all the world's criminals with the Death Note ... a notebook in which anyone whose name is written in shall die.

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But what Light hasn't counted on is the startling arrival on the scene of a second Kira. Again picking up where the first film left off, pop singer/actress/TV spokes-model Misa Amane (Erika Toda) is just beginning to learn the powers of the Death Note that she was given at the end of the first film. With Rem - her shinigami (god of death ... and the being who gave her the Death Note) - in tow, Misa develops her own plans with the Death Note; plans that she hopes to use to bring Kira out into the open, so that the two of them can work together in bringing the world to a new order. Misa, totally enamored of Kira, fancies herself his disciple and is determined to find him.

But when her crude, less-polished murders begin with innocent people getting killed left and right, even the police - still led by the mysterious mastermind detective "L" (Ken'ichi Matsuyama, even better here than he was in the first film), who is still unconvinced of Light's innocence - soon realize they are on a manhunt for two killers who could prove themselves insurmountable if they combined forces. Worse yet, the second Kira seems to be able to kill without even knowing the victim's name; just seeing the person's face is enough for this second Kira to cause death within minutes.

Light is shocked by news of the second Kira - even more so by the fact that this Kira seems to have the eyes of the shinigami, something he desperately needs if he's to finally kill off his one true opponent in this game ... L. Per the rules of the Death Note, the shinigami can see not only a human's full name when they gaze at them, but also how many years of living they have left. And if the owner of the Death Note is willing to trade half of his (or her) remaining life in exchange for the shinigami's gaze, they too can see the names of their victims simply by gazing at them - giving them a far easier opportunity to write that person's name in the Death Note, killing them.

And when Misa finally tracks down Light, knowing now that he is Kira, the two indeed join forces so that Light can kill L ... and all it will take is one introduction of L to Misa, which Light will provide to secure the genius detective's fate at last.

Or will it?

From here this complex, intense and puzzle-like film's plot folds back and in on itself for the rest of the film. Indeed, the storyline quickly develops more twists and turns than a gigantic pretzel - particularly with the introduction of a third Kira - and throughout it all everything boils down to the contest between Light and L; truly, each character pulls plenty of his own tricks to stay one step ahead of his opponent, as well as plan strategies in his next few moves to outdo the other (much like the chess game Light and L play early on in the film, when Light first joins the task force). As in the first film, you never quite know what Light has up his sleeve, but are simply pulled along for the ride until his ingenious plot is fully revealed - at which time, you will indeed be surprised. It's a strong, long and very twisted storyline - yes, even more so than the first - and this is definitely a film that you have to sit and watch throughout, if you don't want to be confused by the end (in fact, it's a great mental workout to boot; a truly well-done story).

Fujiwara and Matsuyama, as Light and L respectively, turn in great performances as the yin and yang of justice - one slowly driven to madness by his godlike power to kill, the other determined to see true justice done for the sake of maintaining the order of society. Both are stronger here than even in the first film, though Fujiwara's Light seems even more emotionally detached and distant than in part one. Truly, Light has become a monster in his determination to build his idea of a perfect world.

And the finale (also full of surprises, and twists of its own) all boils down to the question of whose name shall be the last name written in the Death Note; who shall remain standing while the other perishes. The two-hour and twenty-minute trip getting to that answer is extraordinary - the finale truly touching, and also somehow perfect in the way it brings full closure to the tale.

God, how I love these films. And how sad it is to have them over. ****1/2 - Reel Awesome-Reel Must-See