Feb
16
2008
I Just Didn’t Do It (Soredemo boku wa yattenai)
Posted by luna6
Movie Review : I Just Didn’t Do It | Soredemo boku wa yattenai
Release Date : January 27, 2007
Director : Masayuki Suo
Starring : Ryo Kase
Runtime : 143 min
Editor Rating : 7.5
(12 Votes, User Rating: 8.75)
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“I fought the law and the law won…”
When you hear that country X has a 99.99% conviction rate for criminal trials what country comes to your mind? China? Iran? North Korea? Well, that staggering number actually belongs to Japan and its the cornerstone behind the compelling legal drama “I Just Didn’t Do it.” A lawyer in the movie does explain that, technically speaking, the conviction rate is actually lower than 99.99%. If you take out the guilty pleas that occur, than the actual conviction rate falls to … 97%. Needless to say, numbers like these can only come about when the legal system has shifted its burden of proof from “innocent until proven guilty” to “guilty until proven innocent”.
In “I Just Didn’t Do It,” 26 year old Teppei Kaneko is late for an all important job interview. The morning rush hour subway train is about to leave the station. Teppei sees that the doors are about to close and makes a jump into the nearest cab train. A subway worker makes sure he fits into the overfilled train by pushing him further into the crowded mass. As soon as the doors close, Teppei realizes that the back of his coat jacket is stuck in the subway train door. Teppei maneuvers to pull his jacket out, but bumps into the lady on his right. He apologizes to her, but fiddles around again to get his jacket out. When the train stops again, Teppei walks off the train, but a young 15 year old girl grabs his hand and accuses him of groping her from behind.
Teppei goes to the police station, bewildered and shocked that he is accused of groping, but nonetheless confident that once he states his case the police will let him go. For Teppei, this is just the beginning of his long ordeal to prove that he just didn’t do it.
One of the most effective aspects of the film is the portrayal of Teppei’s state of mind during his long judicial ordeal. Representing the mindset of Japanese citizens at large, Teppei never questioned the astounding 99.99% conviction rate prior to his arrest, believing that the innocent would be found innocent regardless of that astounding statistics. In actuality the rigid Japanese legal system is built to extract guilty pleas as soon as possible and if it does go to trial, well it would be a slap to the face of the prosecutors and police officers to acquit the defendant.
It was also nice to see Ryo Kase take center stage in “I Just Didn’t Do It.” Known more for his many supporting roles in hip indie films like “Taste of Tea,” “Funky Forest,” “Sukida,” “Strawberry Shortcakes,” it seems Kase’s strong performance in “Letters from Iwo Jima” has opened the eyes of more mainstream directors like this film’s Masayuki Suo (Shall We Dance?). The sky’s really the limit for Ryo Kase.
Pacing in “I Just Didn’t Do It” is deliberate, without the dramatics you have seen in many other courtroom filled dramas. Because of this, the movie’s subjective (but comes across as objective) examination of the Japanese legal system will likely open the eyes of many to the flaws found within the Japanese legal system. More depth in the depiction of the police officers and prosecutors would have taken the film to spectacular heights, but as it stands, “I Just Didn’t Do It” is a very good film that’s easily digestible for the masses.
Cast:
Ryo Kase - Teppei Kaneko
Asaka Seto - Riko Sudo, Lawyer
Kohji Yamamoto - Tatsuo Saito
Masako Motai - Toyoko kaneko
Koji Yakusho - Masayoshi Arakawa, Lawyer
Hirotaro Honda - Hideo Mitsui
Yosuke Ishii - Keizo Hirayama
Toshiyuki Kitami - Takashi Miyamoto
Fumiyo Kohinata - Shogo Muroyama
Toru Masuoka - Seiichiro Tamura
Ken Mitsuishi - Mitsuru Sada
Nao Omori - Koji Yamada
Naoto Takenaka
If you like this movie you may enjoy: Sway
2007 Movie Reviews, Japanese Movies, Movies |
Comments
1 Comment so far
Good movie. [Recommended]! Although it is 2 hours long, the movie went by pretty quickly. It makes you question the Japanese legal system (Although do not take this movie as bias toward the Japanese legal system.)
The acting is well done, but the only fault I found was the little interaction between Teppei and his mother and friend. I guess you’re only to assume the obligatory unconditional love between mother and son and the trustful friendship with Tatsuo. I really did not see the friendship between the Tatsuo and Teppei that would reflect Tatsuo’s willingness to help Teppei.