The Third Murder

(★★★✩✩)

MISUMI (Koji Yakusho), who works at a food canning factory, confesses to murdering his boss and nicking his wallet one night. H aving committed a murder already back in the 1980s (he just got out of prison after serving a 30-year sentence), Misumi seems destined to get the death penalty this time.

H is defence lawyer Shigemori (Masaharu Fukuyama) is finding ways to reduce his sentence when he finds out that Misumi has told the press that the murder he committed was at the behest of his boss’s wife.

While the unexpected turn of events definitely helps the case, it doesn’t matter when, later, Misumi changes his story yet again. The search for the truth behind what actually happened keeps viewers at the edge of the seats. But after a while, it gets frustrating.

Often, filmmakers tend to paint their main characters either as someone viewers should root for or against right from the start. In The Third Murder, viewers themselves have to make that decision as Misumi is too unpredictable.

In a way, it’s a reflection of what judges or members of a jury have to go through when deciding on a court case – not having any preconceived notions about the accused and making a decision based on what’s in front of them.

The Third Murder isn’t really a whodunit. As the film searches for the truth, it encourages viewers to think deeply about themes like good versus evil, nature of men and capital punishment.

The film is never straightforward, which may frustrate some viewers, but neither is real life. – Kenneth Chaw