MPD Psycho (Multiple Personality Detective)

Customer Reviews:

dont just watch the movies.......2005-07-09

have you read the manga MPD-Psycho?
this movie is originally based on the manga [japanese comic book]
the manga itself is a masterpiece
so i think you shouldn't comment about the story just by watching the movie only
grab the manga too!

A disappointment.......2005-06-01

The only reason I'm not rating this lower than three stars is because it's incomplete -- it's the first volume of I-don't-know-how-many it will take to collect what is apparently an entire Japanese TV series. Of course, you don't really know (or anyway, I didn't know) going in that it IS incomplete, so frustration mounts as the disc gets closer and closer to the end of its run time without showing any signs of making sense anytime soon. Which, not to spoil anything, it doesn't even start to by the time you're finished.

The plot seems to be as follows: In a vaguely fascistic alternate history version of contemporary Japan (that this is alternate history is only hinted at, but it feels like something that'll be important later on in the series), a homicide detective develops a split personality when a serial murderer kills his wife. The cop's alternate personality kills the serial killer, and the cop reverts back to his former self, albeit without memory of several years of his life (including his marriage). His superiors keep covert tabs on him to make sure he's all right, but are content to let him lead a mundane but happy life as a retired police officer until another killer pops up with the same MO. When the detective's current wife goes missing, he returns to his alternate personality and sets out to track down and kill the serial killer -- again.

All of which sounds promising (if a little cliche), but a whole lot of weird science fiction is thrown into the mix -- people with barcodes stamped on their eyes, souls that reach out through cell phones and the internet to take possession of those unlucky enough to be on the other side of the connection, etc. -- and none of it really seems to add up to anything by the time you've lost two hours of your life watching this. Again, had I realized going in that this was FAR from complete I might not have developed a migraine trying to figure out what in the hell is going on in this program...but I also probably would have waited until the whole series had been released to watch it. As you probably should, too.

Fans of director Takashi Miike will be stunned to see something of his that sports the kind of slick production values on display here. But Miike seems to be reining himself in a little, too -- or, quite possibly, the TV production company he was working for did the reining in for him. It's certainly way more out there than anything you'd ever see on American TV, maybe including HBO productions, but it's neither as gleefully irreverent as Ichi the Killer nor as flatout scary as Audition. Additionally -- appallingly -- shots of nudity and what look like some spectacular gore scenes are artfully FUZZED OUT, which I imagine is either a TV concession (sorry, kids!) or evidence that I rented a butchered version. I'm guessing it's the former, since the fuzziness (as opposed to the simple removal of scenes)implies Miike had a hand in it, but either way, it's obnoxious and distracting. Not to mention condescending -- I'll make up my own mind about what I choose to look at, thank you very much.

I'll definitely RENT -- not buy -- the second volume when it's released, just out of curiosity, but those curious about Miike would be much better advised to check out his theatrical films first. MPD Psycho is not without merit, but it's certainly not representative of his best work.

Miike at his weirdest.......2005-05-29

Bear in mind first that these are the first two episodes of a 6 part TV series, so don't expect anything like closure from this disc by itself. Unfortunately, Adness aren't planning to release the 2nd disc until the end of August! Given the complexity and strangeness of the series, I really think all 6 episodes need to be watched together, so I can't really recommend purchasing the disc by itself.

Strange movie.......2005-05-26

First off-I'm a big fan of Asian movies and the horror movies are typically well done-but this movie left me wondering what I'd just watched when it was finished. A psycho has decided that women want to be pretty like flowers-so he conceives a way of turning them into human flower pots-the remainder of the story is so convoluted--I'm not sure what it was about!
As much as I like Asian horor movies--I'd recommend staying away from this one. Recent releases like "Koma" and "A Tale of Two Sisters" are much better movies than this oddity!

Average customer rating:

Seven meets Silence of the Lamb!
YOU'RE IN GOOD HANDS WITH ALLY
ALLY WALKER IS A GREAT PROFILER!!!
'Silence of the Lambs', it's not
Ally Walker movies

When the Bough Breaks
Starring: Ally Walker , Martin Sheen , Ron Perlman , Tara Subkoff , and Robert Knepper
Director: Michael Cohn
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0002DRDN2
Release Date: 2004-08-17

Customer Reviews:

Seven meets Silence of the Lamb!.......2005-10-06

I loved the movie! It was real! It was gritty! It carried me in through to the end!
Ally Walker was so credible with her intriguing personality traits, and yet destinguished research and detective work!
Beautiful!!
I could watch the movie over and over again, and still find more interesting things in the movie!
The only thing I didn't like was how it ended. Rather abrupt and somewhat inconclusive!

YOU'RE IN GOOD HANDS WITH ALLY.......2005-02-04

Ally Walker reminded me of a toned down Charlize Theron in this effectively chilling thriller. Her zesty, controlled and courageous performance highlights this tale of a serial killer who has surgically removed the hands of several young children. The murders occur on the same date, and the victims progress in age over the ten year period. Walker also ties up with a young psychiatric patient who has refused to talk for ten years---she begins to see the connection, as do we the viewer. Martin Sheen has a small role as the sheriff, and Ron Perlman has a small role too near the end, but this is Walker's movie. She comes across tough, yet vulnerable. The plot has some holes: where did Walker get her scars? There is a hint of some kind of emotional trauma, her claustrophobia never being fully explained. And the ending comes rather abruptly without a full explanation of what was going on. Writer/director Michael Cohn makes the viewer put all the pieces together.
But still this is a chilling movie and Walker is perfect.

ALLY WALKER IS A GREAT PROFILER!!!.......2004-08-16

Ally Walker stars as Audrey MacLeah, a profiler from the Texas Rangers helping the Houston Police investigate severed human hands that showed up during a flash-flood. Her lead to the case is a child with psychic abilities locked up in a mental institution. The story also has a sub-plot on how the local police resent MacLeah for being a State Law Enforcer helping them solve the case.

Although the movie has some flaws, it is still a very good suspense thriller & Ally Walker's acting is terrific. The movie was released in 1993. It's a good thing that it will be released in DVD format.

Interestingly though, Ally Walker later went on to star in the TV series "Profiler" (she played a profiler/forensic psychologist working for the FBI) from 1996 to 1999.

'Silence of the Lambs', it's not.......2003-07-14

I watched "When the Bough Breaks" last night as an uncut, no commercials, cable TV movie.

Up front, to give the movie credit, it was entertaining enough. No boredom. Just nagging thoughts.

Too early in the movie, the parallels to "Silence of the Lambs" become very apparent. That started with the isolated underground captivity of the key informant/psych patient and continued all the way through the confrontation with the villain in the basement.

But even before that comes the nagging impression that police department had simply not done a competent investigation. Does it really take a profiler from the state to see all these July 16 connections?

Then comes the prosecutor's nightmare. Ali simply breaks into the house without a search warrant. With all the things she sees, there goes any hope of a conviction. And this is a trained law enforcement officer?

Does a trained law enforcement officer go into as dangerous an environment as that basement without notifying a dispatcher and asking for some backup? Of course, having backup arrive from two miles away would have ruined the climax of the film.

And so many loose ends....

--The predominace of smoking, even extending to the child patient.
--Unexplained scratch-mauling of the profiler's back.
--The disappearance of the police captain in the middle of the plot.
--The ability of a cop to so effectively hypnotize an autistic child.
--The question of the patient's Jordan/Jennifer identity and reason for the wrist markings when the identity of the other twin seems so apparent.

None of these mar the film's entertainment value. It's only afterwards that one feels diminished by a badly written screenplay.

Ally Walker movies.......2003-02-23

I just wanted to comment on the review given by the person From the Phillipines. I have done several querys to find The Profiler tv series on DVD. Will that be coming anytime soon? I would love to see it. Thanks.

Average customer rating:

Starts of promising and then...
Creative, brutal, witty and goofy

Killer Tattoo
Starring: Suthep Po-ngam , Somchai Kemglad , Sornsutha Klunmalee , Petchtai Wongkamlao , and Pongsak Pongsuwan
Director: Yuthlert Sippapak
Manufacturer: Tai Seng
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00019GHFW
Release Date: 2004-03-16

Description

In this futuristic action comedy from Thailand, Pae, a seasoned hitman fresh out of prison, is immediately assigned the tough job of wiping out Iron Cop, a ruthless enforcer of the law who has been wreaking havoc on the criminal world. But things get complicated when Kit, another up and coming assassin, has also been contracted to kill Iron Cop on the same day. Making matter worse is Kit's suspicion that Pae may also be his parents' killer.

Customer Reviews:

Starts of promising and then..........2006-06-02

A terrific example of not judging a DVD by its cover; the most "killer" aspect of KILLER TATTOO was its marketing materials. When I saw guns, crazed assassins, and a guy in an Elvis jumpsuit, I thought that I had found the perfect film. Perhaps this was the Thai remedy for 3,000 MILES TO GRACELAND.

KILLER TATTOO starts off promisingly enough. Seconds after being released from jail, Buffalo Gun (Suthep Po-ngam) gets an offer to kill the chief of police for 250 Large. He puts together a crack(ed) team of odd-balls including his old friend Ghostdog (Sornsutha Klunmalee), young upstart Dog (Petchtai Wongkamlao), and EP M16 (Pongsak Pongsuwan). Each of these fellows has his own foibles: Ghostdog is haunted by the ghost of his wife, Dog is wracked with guilt, and EP M16 thinks he's Elvis - so much so that he can only communicate in English. Unbeknownst to them, their assignment has also been shopped to Kit Silencer (Somchai Kemglad), an assassin of renown who's been searching for his mother's killer since he was a tot. His only clue is the tattoo on the Mystery Man's arm (thus the name of the movie would more accurately have been "TATTOOED KILLER").

Despite the promising set-up with a group of motley murderers, KILLER TATOO never really pays off. Director Yuthlert Sippapak provides a handful of good set pieces, but these often come off as pale imitations of John Woo's THE KILLER. The only fairly interesting aspect of the film comes from its anti-"farang" (European/American) sentiments. Most, if not all, of the main antagonist's forces are comprised of farang and the film's heroes note how popular white faces are in advertising when seeing their streets lined with ads sporting Caucasians. Other than fanning the flames of anti-Western sentiment, this farang theme doesn't amount to anything. However, that's par for the course for this disappointing cult wannabe.

Creative, brutal, witty and goofy.......2004-08-06

This film is much better than 90% of the Hong Kong action flicks you'd find in a video store and more clever and funny than 99.9% of American action/comedies. Very cool theme intermingling Thai and "Phalong" (white people) cultures.
It's worth it for the subtitles alone. Hilarious. Watch it.

9/12 = )

Average customer rating:

Touching Evil 1 - To Death and Back
Starring: Robson Green , and Nicola Walker
Manufacturer: WGBH BOSTON
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0001WTWOW
Release Date: 2004-06-29

Description

Detective Inspector Dave Creegan (Robson Green, Reckless and Me & Mrs. Jones) , his partner D.I. Susan Taylor (Nicola Walker, Four Weddings and a Funeral), and the Organized Serial Crime (OSC) Unit are called in to investigate the suspicious deaths of three London hospital patients, all killed within hours of each other by a drug that none had been prescribed.

Again, the clues are few and enigmatic: Each victim sports a patch of bare skin with a faint outline of "Let me go" tattooed upon it—and each was treated by Dr. Elizabeth Walker (Kika Markham), an outspoken advocate of euthanasia. Under questioning from Creegan and Taylor, Walker admits to having partially erased one of the messages, which, she says, actually read "Let me go back."

The case cuts too close to the bone for Creegan, who, having survived a bullet to the head, is painfully reminded of his own near-death experience. Investigating further, Creegan confirms that all three victims had at one time clinically died and were subsequently resuscitated. Certain that he and the killer, like the victims, share in common a "trip to the other side," Creegan sets a seductive trap only to find himself ensnared.

Special DVD features include: link to the Mystery! Web site; scene selections; and closed captions.

On three DVD5 discs. Region coding: All regions. Audio: Dolby stereo. Screen format: 4 x 3 full frame.

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