And here we have this hidden gem by first time director Yasuo Inoue. "Rinjin 13-go" AKA "Neighbour Number 13" is a revenge driven psychological movie that explores the inner conscience of an individual rejected and abused by society. Stylishly shot, the lead character develops a psychopathic split personality, the action is satisfyingly bloody not all that gory as I expected it would be, most of the violent acts done of-screen and as a hidden surprise it's got a cameo appearance by Takashi Miike. What more could I ask for? Nothing really. But one question still remains. Does it deliver? You bet it does, this a great film and it indeed offers some insightful glimmers into the mind of a psychopath.
Jûzô Murasaki (played by Shun Oguri) is an individual who has spent most of his childhood being bullied in school. Often humiliated and beaten he has never been able to stand up for himself. Years have passed since those days and now he has just moved in into his new apartment in a small tenement building. He finds a job as a construction worker under one, Tôru Akai (played by Hirofumi Arai). Akai, to put it simply is a bully. He spends most of his time torturing those that are underneath his rank, those that can't stand up for themselves. To make matters even worse Akai lives in the same apartment building one floor above. Juzo's childhood nightmare is brought back to the surface as he is subjected to a series of pranks leading up to a point where he is trapped in a toilet by Akai. Then, enters Number 13, Jûzô's split personality. One very nasty fellow who unlike his "roomate" has no qualms to use violence against, anybody or anything. 13 is the vessel holding all the anger, all the rage that has been building up in Jûzô for years. Once he is free all hell brakes loose, there are no more moral barriers to cross, everyone in his path gets it one way or the other.
Inoue does a commendable job in directing this movie. Bordering near the realm of the surreal, "Neighbour Number 13" is a dreamlike slasher, that has more brains than guts. Inoue makes it very clear that the story is much more complicated than it seems at first. Several sequences point to that, one good example is the opening shot. Showing us the arrival of NO.13 into Jûzô's mind. Not to mention the open-ended ending that certainly leaves a lot to think about. The actors do their jobs accordingly and it does feel very organic the way their characters react. Miike's surprise cameo is another cool addition (not to mention the way he gets killed)to this already good film, I'm not going to lie his appearance is partially one of the reasons why I watched this, so yeah I'm glad he's here even if it is for a few seconds or so.
So what do we have in the end? "Neighbour Number 13" a vastly enjoyable movie be it revenge/slasher/character study/psychological see it for whatever type you desire or just watch it as something unique, an amalgam that stays in a genre of its own. For a first time director Yasuo Inoue demonstrates some impressive skills and I'm definitely going to wait and see what he'll cook up in the future.
