Ringu
by Hideo Nakata
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Hitomi Satô, Miki Nakatani, Nanako Matsushima, Yôichi Numata, Yûko TakeuchiDirector: Hideo Nakata
Producer: Makoto Ishihara
Producer: Masato Hara
Producer: Shin'ya Kawai
Producer: Takashige Ichise
Producer: Takenori Sentô
Writer: Hiroshi Takahashi
Writer: Kôji Suzuki
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Japanese (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 96 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-03-04
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Dreamworks Video
Movie Reviews of Ringu
Movie Review: The original movie stands heads above its successors
Summary: 5 Stars
The first theatrical version of Koji Suzuki's novel, as there was Ringu Kanzenban, a 1995 TV movie, is the one that inspired two Japanese sequels, a prequel, the South Korean version, Ring Virus, and oh yes, the pitiful American version with Naomi Watts. Needless to say, Ringu stands head above them.
The story's well-told by now, but let me relate it one more time. Following the death of her niece, high school student Tomoko, Reiko Asakawa, a journalist, investigates the cause. Seems like there's a cursed video that'll kill someone within a week of that person watching it. As a cute high school student tells her in a videocamera interview, "I heard that suddenly, there's this scary woman who says, `you'll die in one week." Well, in the opening moments of the movie, Tomoko tells her friend Masami that she and her friends saw a weird video while vacationing at Izu Pacific Island. It turns out that Tomoko's vacationing friends also died on the exact same day and time as her, and that one of the girls died with the same look of sheer shock that Tomoko did.
Reiko goes to the same resort, discovers a video in a nondescript blank case, watches it, and, well, gets the curse. The imagery of the video has a surreal yet eerie look, the woman combing her hair, the man with white cloth on his head pointing, the dancing Chinese characters, and that eerie scraping metal sound. To that end, she enlists the aid of Ryuji Takayama, her ex-husband who teaches either math or physics at a university. It's his analytical and logical mind that she feels can help her in this dilemma.
Ryuji watches the video and after getting Reiko to copy the video, analyzes weird sounds, images of an erupting volcano, and the character "Sada" seen in someone's eye. Their investigation leads to Mount Miharajima on Izu Oshima, which is an island inbetween the two peninsulas which encircle Tokyo Bay, Izu Hanto and Boso Hanto.
I'd call this more a suspense thriller with supernatural overtones rather than an outright horror flick. And it's a balance of appealing characters, an interesting and unique story, and low-key rather than Hollywood-style overblown style that place this over The Ring. Other than the images of the video, flashback techniques in B&W help advance the story. So does the technique used in Tomoko's death, a close-up of her fear-stricken face, a sudden reverse image, then nothing.
The tension keeps building as the date is presented onscreen, followed by a low and eerie sound, counting down the days Reiko has to live. There is hardly any incidental music to speak of, as much of the sounds are of the same low and haunting sounds. However, the thing that'll guarantee Ringu its immortality is the sight of Sadako, long black hair covering her face, dressed in a white robe, creeping out of the TV, hands with fingernails torn out, stalking her prey. This spectre has been copied or revised in Japanese films like The Hypnotist, Ju-On, its American remake The Grudge, and the Scary Movie 3 parody.
Another thing to note is the change of Asakawa to a female character, as opposed to the male Kazuyuki Asakawa in the original novel. And the distorted photographs and marks on arms is something in both the manga and here.
As Reiko Asakawa, Nanako Matsushima balances an amiable, hard-working employee and loving single mother who wants to spend more time with her son. She's definitely warmer than the Korean version's Eun Kyung Shin, who played Hong Sun-Ju as somewhat of a cold fish. Hiroyuki Sanada plays Ryuji with a stolid, curt, rational man who's intelligent enough to suss out the clues from the video. And Rikiya Otaka also does well as Yoichi, who's cute and likeable rather than creepy.
Hopefully, the original movie Ringu 2 and the original sequel, Rasen (Spiral) will come out soon on DVD to see how the Ring story continues movie-wise.
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