Review of Retribution

In Tokyo, when a young woman in a red dress is drowned in a hole with sea water by a stranger, Detective Noboru Yoshioka (Kôji Yakusho) is assigned to investigate the case; however he finds evidences that points out to him as the possible murderer. Then a doctor kills his son in the same way, and Noboru believes the man is a serial-killer. However, Noburo is haunted by a woman dressed in red that he believes is the first victim called F18 by the coroner and becomes obsessed to solve the case. Further he proposes his girlfriend Harue Nimura (Manami Konishi) to move with him to another city or country. Meanwhile a woman drowns her lover in a bathtub with sea water. When the body of the woman in red (F18) is identified, Noburo arrests the killer and believes the ghost will leave him. But when he meets Miyuki Yabe (Kaoru Okunuki), he finds that she was possessed by the emotions of the fiend when she murdered her lover and Noboru's psychiatric identifies that his problems are connected to events of fifteen years ago. Noboru asks Harue to travel alone and navigates in a boat to an abandoned asylum where he discovers the truth about the spirit.

"Sakebi" is an intriguing horror tale, supported by a complex plot that is open to interpretations. I saw this movie twice on DVD trying to understand the mystery, but it was not clear the connection among Noboru, Reiko (the first victim F18), the doctor Sakuma and Miyuki with the ghost in red. Something is missing to give full comprehension to the plot. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Vítima de uma Alucinação" ("Victim of an Hallucination")