Product Details

• Actors: Jun Kunimura, Ken Mitsuishi, Masato Hagiwara, Miki Nakatani
• Directors: Hideo Nakata
• Writers: Hisashi Saito
• Format: Color, Letterboxed, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: Japanese
• Subtitles: English
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Kino International
• VHS Release Date: April 15, 2003
• Run Time: 90 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00008HCA8
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #484,129 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Complex and beautiful., May 5, 2003

By 

Robert P. Beveridge "xterminal" (Lakewood, OH) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chaos (DVD)

Chaos (Hideo Nakata, 2001)

Hideo Nakata, by far best-known in the west for the ultra-smash hit film Ringu, departs from the horror films that have paid his way for the past few years and delves into the straight mystery. It probably helps that the same production team who produced one of Japan's finest mystery films, Cure, was in on this one as well.

Komiyama (Ken Mitsuishi of Malick's The Thin Red Line), an executive at a generic company, has lunch with his wife Saori (Miki Nakatani, seen recently in Ringu). She disappears while he's paying the bill. He goes back to the office to a telephone call from someone (Masato Hagiwara, the Hannibal Lecter-like villain of Cure) saying his wife has been kidnapped. To say things go wrong from that point on, both for Komiyana and the kidnapper, would be an understatement.

While the trailer reveals far more than this, best to leave it there. The plot spoilers start less than fifteen minutes into the movie, and you're best off going into it with no preparation at all.

As the DVD has no dubbing capability-you watch the film with subtitles or you don't watch it at all-Chaos is a film that will make the American viewer pay very, very close attention. The movie shifts back and forth in time, revealing a piece of the puzzle here, a piece there. The viewer will have to keep all his attention focused on this movie in order for it to make any semblance of sense, and even with all the pieces in place, it's going to take the viewer quite a while to figure out what to make of the movie's ending.

As with all of Nakata's movies, the lighting and cinematography are brilliant. Everything is perfectly staged to create a feeling of complete claustrophobia, accented by a number of scenes that take place at Asagaya Station; the limitless sky in those scenes only makes the closing-in feeling that much more real. Twist after twist, turn after turn leaves the viewer almost breathless. And still, the pace is perfectly done; nothing ever feels rushed.

While this is a mystery and not a horror film, it should be noted that Nakata's not going to let a whole film go by without at least one triumph of the make-up department. If you're the squeamish type, be warned, but don't let that turn you from this complex, wonderful movie. ****

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant--once you understand it, January 26, 2007

By 

Melissa Washington "Emmeaki" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chaos (DVD)

Great movie about love and deception, but confusing the first time around. The story is not told in chronological order, and to add to the confusion there are the similar-sounding names of two characters, (Saori and Satomi) names that are unfamiliar to Western ears and some characters who were only on screen for a short while. I won't give away the plot, but when you finally realize what's going on, it's brilliant! I had to watch Chaos more than once to get the full picture, buy it was well worth it!

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars great oriental thriller..., February 24, 2005

By 

retroredux - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Chaos (DVD)

a sexy, mind bending thriller-a film that starts out pretty straight forward and then throws you 360 degrees.

Fairly tame as to the sex and violence compared to American thrillers, but that, IMO, makes the film more enjoyable-you need to use your brain instead of being clubbed in the head with gratatious imagery. You'll need to pay attention to this one if you hope to keep up.

A surprising ending but one appropriate for a Japanese film-known for their moralizing undertones. A enjoyable, thought provoking movie. 4 stars.