There are times when Cloud feels like it will do something surprising or compelling, only to do deliver something more mundane than expected. This Japanese thriller, directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, boasts great performances, but slow pacing and a lack of characterization hold it back.
Cloud presents the story of Ryosuke Yoshii, an online reseller/ scalper who also works at some sort of garment factory. From the start, the movie makes it clear that Yoshii’s deals aren’t always as simple as buying low and selling high. He rips people off while knowing, in some cases, that doing so will put the seller in financial danger.
He comes off as sociopathic and compulsive, but not outright malicious or evil. One clue about his mindset comes when he says that he himself doesn’t know what portion of the items he sells is real or fake, which puts him in a more moral gray area, at least in his mind.
It’s an interesting concept that makes the movie unique right from the start, especially these days when scalpers target more and more products. The downside is that Cloud does little telling, and even less showing, when it comes to the consequences of Yoshii’s deals.
The film slowly builds tension by hinting that someone is stalking Yoshii and by characters talking about how they want revenge on Yoshii, whom they refer to as “Raten.” These aren’t just disgruntled customers, but unhinged internet weirdos who want violent retribution.
Even knowing that Yoshii tends to rip people off, the movie fails to explain clearly why anyone would want to actually kill him. Some victims say that his fake merchandise made them broke, and in the most fleshed-out case, got them beaten up by an angry buyer.
The first half of the movie is slow-paced and often feels like the plot is just meandering about in an attempt to build tension. The problem is that tension without a solid payoff is just dull. This film is two hours long, so there is plenty of time to show how Yoshii/Raten could have really ruined these people’s lives.
No one likes scalpers, and it's clear the movie is going for a social commentary on the mob mentality the Internet can foster, but its approach goes from subtle to wacky halfway through. Even though the plot starts to crumble, the performances and direction save it from being a total disaster.
Masaki Suda does a great job at playing Yoshii. He has dead eyes for most of the film, and his expressionless demeanor adds a layer of mystique to his character. Even though the overall plot needs more fleshing out, I was fine with Yoshii himself being mysterious because of Suda’s performance.
The last half-hour of the movie might cause some tonal whiplash because of how action-heavy it is, but it ends up being entertaining. It reminded me of old B-movies, since it seems that the writer perhaps realized the movie has to end soon, so they just started throwing in twists and plot elements for no reason. I wouldn’t call it artistic, but it was fun. even though the ending had some “edgy film student” vibes. It was enough to secure a recommendation if you’re a fan of thrillers.
Author Bio:
Ulises Duenas is a senior writer and film critic at Highbrow Magazine.
For Highbrow Magazine