Michihito Fujii has a few films folks can stream on Netflix. The latest is Faceless, a new crime thriller that reunites Fujii with co-writing partner Kazuhisa Kodera for the first time since their 2019 collaborative effort, Day And Night.
Based on Tamehito Somei’s 2020 novel, the film centers on the frenzied manhunt for prison escapee and death row convict, Kaburagi (Ryusei Yokohama), led by Detective Matanuki (Takayuki Yamada). What follows is a striking profile of the media circus surrounding its coverage as Kaburagi navigates between several jobs under various aliases, as well as a damning examination of a flawed criminal justice system in front of public perception.
Faceless explores all of these aspects amid Kaburagi’s teetering friendships in seperate phases, namely with construction worker Kazuya (Shintaro Morimoto), a journalist named Sayaka (Riho Yoshioka), and home care aide Mai (Anna Yamada). Kaburagi develops a connection with all three of these individuals under different alias, all while sharing space in each occupation while mitiagting his limited freedom.
There’s an intent, however, underneath all the moves Kaburagi has been making, something which Matanuki struggles to realize for himself. As tethered he is to the rule of law, and as inclined as he is to adhere to the ulterior motives of his superiors, he (very) slowly finds himself increasingly beleagured by the possibility that Kaburagi is innocent.
I like that Shochiku kept the lid on who was playing the role of Kaburagi ahead of its theatrical release in Japan late last year. I think it added to the hype a little more, topping Yokohama’s star power to a degree with the actor having just appeared in two of Fujii’s recent productions, Village and The Parades. That the film’s IP was the basis for a WOW series drama with a different cast and crew feels like another factor in how the film’s 2+ hour format delivers.
It takes a pretty nimble and skilled approach to crafting something consumable in such a time frame while calibrating enough space for characters like these to develop and grow. In Fujii’s case, he smartly keeps the focus as linear as possible as we follow Kaburagi and his motivations leading up to the film’s explosive and dramatic conclusion.
In doing so, Fujii communicates the problematic nature of law enforcement and what happens when a malfeasant criminal justice system isn’t held accountable. Faceless purports this balance with a culmination of characters, alluding to the kind of reciprocity that goodwill, ideally, should reflect. In a timeline like ours which isn’t cinematically scripted, it’s almost hard to believe, but I’ll be damned if didn’t agree with Fujii’s point anyway.
