CHAOS [KAOSU]

SUNDAY 26 OCTOBER AT 9PM UGC SHAFTESBURY AVE SCREEN 1

Country Japan Running Time 104 mins Format 35mm Dir Hideo Nakata Prod Yum Lami S'play Hisashi Saito DoP Tokusho Kikumura Cast Masato Hagiwara, Miki Nakatani, Ken Mitsuishi, Jun Kunimura Print Source Tartan FIlms E cbarwick@metro-tartan.co.uk

Director Hideo Nakata unleashed an epidemic of nightmares with Ring. Using the same visual economy for this meticulously- crafted kidnapping movie, Chaos is a labyrinthine tale of body doubles, double crossings and double bluffs.

In an expensive restaurant, a wealthy businessman, Komiyama, is having lunch with a beautiful woman. The elegantly dressed lady slips out whilst her partner is paying the bill. Initially unconcerned by her disappearance, he returns to work assuming she has gone back home. Shortly after getting back to his office, he receives a phone call from a desperate sounding voice informing him that his young wife Saori has been kidnapped, and that he should hand over 30 million yen to get her back.

Shifting focus between individual events and perspectives, with every five minutes delivering an abrupt about-turn to our handle of what is going on, those that can follow Chaos' torturous path will find themselves gripped from start to finish. Sleek and assured, the slow-burning aura of tension and mystery is further fuelled by the undeniable sexual frisson between abductor and abducted, the latter played by the stunning Miki Nakatani (Ring, The Spiral). Hollywood were so impressed, they bought the remake rights (again). JS

Hideo Nakata worked as a studio AD for 7 years at Nikkatsu Studios. His directorial debut was Ghost Actress (1996), soon followed by Assassin's Town. He went on to direct the legendary Ring films. Last year Raindance screened Dark Water, his first film since leaving the studio.