Ryuhei Matsuda was born on the 9th of May, 1983, in Tokyo, to actress and producer Miyuki Matsuda and actor Yûsaku Matsuda, and only six years later he loses his father to cancer at the premature age of 40. At only 15, Ryuhei is approached by Nagisa Oshima with the life changing offer of a prominent role in his film Gohatto. Since then, Matsuda's magnetic charisma and remarkable versatility have allowed him to portray a wide range of characters, from brooding antiheroes to quirky and endearing figures, captivating audiences both in Japan and internationally.
With a unique ability to immerse himself in diverse roles, he has left an indelible mark on Japanese cinema and continues to be a beloved and influential figure in the world of acting. However, Matsuda's congenital air of disdain for the whole world, his glacial aloofness mixed with his innate handsomeness make him the prototype of effortless coolness,...
With a unique ability to immerse himself in diverse roles, he has left an indelible mark on Japanese cinema and continues to be a beloved and influential figure in the world of acting. However, Matsuda's congenital air of disdain for the whole world, his glacial aloofness mixed with his innate handsomeness make him the prototype of effortless coolness,...
- 11/9/2023
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
New York Asian Film Festival/Japan Cuts Festival of New Films
NEW YORK -- Such works as the sci-fi classic Tetsuo: The Iron Man and the outlandish costume drama Gemini have established Shinya Tsukamoto as an auteur of the strange -- a kind of intellectual version of Takashi Miike. This riff on the J-horror genre certainly is imaginative, though it lacks the visual experimentation of his previous films. Nightmare Detective occasionally is effective but suffers because it relies more on gore and bloodshed than suspense for shocks.
There's a nastiness at the core of Nightmare that many will find off-putting. It has a sadistic approach to its characters, and the violence is often misogynistic. The film has more in common with the discomfiting Marebito -- in which Tsukamoto starred -- than standard J-horrors. But the Weinstein Co., which will release here on its Dragon Dynasty imprint, should find a willing audience of horror buffs looking for a different approach to what's now become an exhausted J-genre.
The story, by Tsukamoto, revolves around Keiko (pop star Hitomi), a yuppie cop who is investigating a series of gory suicides. Keiko realizes that the deaths may not actually be suicides at all, as they happen while the victims are asleep. It transpires that something or someone is entering their dreams and causing the violence. Keiko enlists Kyoichi (Ryuhei Matsuda), a reclusive young man who has the power to enter people's nightmares, to help her.
The narrative often is befuddling. The links between the real world and the nightmares aren't made sufficiently clear, even within the bizarre world of the script. The film's psychology is basic, and doesn't tell viewers much about the characters' actions. A fast-moving story line tries to mask this confusion but only ends up making it worse.
But the tone is consistent. It's a relentlessly grim view of Human Nature where people have no defense against those with baser, crueler instincts. Its aesthetic is even gloomier than David Fincher's Seven -- a hell on earth with no respite for the civilized. Tsukamoto is adept at taking viewers into this dark world, though they might find it's a place they don't care to visit.
Makeup, rather than computers, supplies most of the effects, and Tsukamoto relishes depicting nasty slashes on the bodies of the victims. This might be ugly, but it's not particularly scary, as the editing doesn't build up much suspense.
Tsukamoto seems to be trying to make an anti-suicide statement, as most of his characters change their minds about the act when it's too late. Suicide is ritualized in Japan with traditions like hari-kari, and it also has become a social problem there: Young students commit suicide because of bullying or exam pressure. Yet Tsukamoto has chosen a bizarre way to make his point.
Tsukamoto directed, wrote, produced, shot, edited and did the production design. He also plays Zero. Apparently, all this activity didn't tire him out. A sequel is on the way.
NIGHTMARE DETECTIVE
Dimension Extreme
A Movie-Eye Entertainment presentation of a Kaijyu Theater production
Credits:
Director/screenwriter/director of photography/production designer: Shinya Tsukamato
Producers: Shinya Tsukamato, Shinichi Kawahara, Yumiko Takebe
Executive producer: Taku Uhiyama
Music: Chu Ishikawa
Editor: Shinya Tsukamoto
Cast:
Kyoichi: Ryuhei Matsuda
Keiko: Hitomi
Wakayama: Masanobu Ando
Running time -- 105 minutes
No MPAA rating...
NEW YORK -- Such works as the sci-fi classic Tetsuo: The Iron Man and the outlandish costume drama Gemini have established Shinya Tsukamoto as an auteur of the strange -- a kind of intellectual version of Takashi Miike. This riff on the J-horror genre certainly is imaginative, though it lacks the visual experimentation of his previous films. Nightmare Detective occasionally is effective but suffers because it relies more on gore and bloodshed than suspense for shocks.
There's a nastiness at the core of Nightmare that many will find off-putting. It has a sadistic approach to its characters, and the violence is often misogynistic. The film has more in common with the discomfiting Marebito -- in which Tsukamoto starred -- than standard J-horrors. But the Weinstein Co., which will release here on its Dragon Dynasty imprint, should find a willing audience of horror buffs looking for a different approach to what's now become an exhausted J-genre.
The story, by Tsukamoto, revolves around Keiko (pop star Hitomi), a yuppie cop who is investigating a series of gory suicides. Keiko realizes that the deaths may not actually be suicides at all, as they happen while the victims are asleep. It transpires that something or someone is entering their dreams and causing the violence. Keiko enlists Kyoichi (Ryuhei Matsuda), a reclusive young man who has the power to enter people's nightmares, to help her.
The narrative often is befuddling. The links between the real world and the nightmares aren't made sufficiently clear, even within the bizarre world of the script. The film's psychology is basic, and doesn't tell viewers much about the characters' actions. A fast-moving story line tries to mask this confusion but only ends up making it worse.
But the tone is consistent. It's a relentlessly grim view of Human Nature where people have no defense against those with baser, crueler instincts. Its aesthetic is even gloomier than David Fincher's Seven -- a hell on earth with no respite for the civilized. Tsukamoto is adept at taking viewers into this dark world, though they might find it's a place they don't care to visit.
Makeup, rather than computers, supplies most of the effects, and Tsukamoto relishes depicting nasty slashes on the bodies of the victims. This might be ugly, but it's not particularly scary, as the editing doesn't build up much suspense.
Tsukamoto seems to be trying to make an anti-suicide statement, as most of his characters change their minds about the act when it's too late. Suicide is ritualized in Japan with traditions like hari-kari, and it also has become a social problem there: Young students commit suicide because of bullying or exam pressure. Yet Tsukamoto has chosen a bizarre way to make his point.
Tsukamoto directed, wrote, produced, shot, edited and did the production design. He also plays Zero. Apparently, all this activity didn't tire him out. A sequel is on the way.
NIGHTMARE DETECTIVE
Dimension Extreme
A Movie-Eye Entertainment presentation of a Kaijyu Theater production
Credits:
Director/screenwriter/director of photography/production designer: Shinya Tsukamato
Producers: Shinya Tsukamato, Shinichi Kawahara, Yumiko Takebe
Executive producer: Taku Uhiyama
Music: Chu Ishikawa
Editor: Shinya Tsukamoto
Cast:
Kyoichi: Ryuhei Matsuda
Keiko: Hitomi
Wakayama: Masanobu Ando
Running time -- 105 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 7/19/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
TOKYO -- The latest supernatural thriller from Japan has been picked up by the Weinstein Co. for distribution in North America, the U.K., Australia and New Zealand.
In a deal first set in motion at November's American Film Market, Arclight Films subsidiary Easternlight Films has announced that it has sold the rights to Nightmare Detective for an undisclosed fee after the movie screened at the Pusan and Rome film festivals.
Written and directed by Shinya Tsukamoto and starring Ryuhei Matsuda, Masanobu Ando and singer Hitomi, the movie is the tale of a female detective investigating a pair of suicides mysteriously connected by the fact that both victims dialed zero on their mobile phones just seconds before they died.
The detective tracks down a man with the power to enter people's dreams, a device that enables Tsukamoto to put his idiosynchratic filming styles to good use.
Easternlight focuses on bringing Asian titles to audiences in the U.S. and Europe and has done business with the Weinsteins for several years, said Jonathan Deckter, president of international sales for Arclight Films.
In a deal first set in motion at November's American Film Market, Arclight Films subsidiary Easternlight Films has announced that it has sold the rights to Nightmare Detective for an undisclosed fee after the movie screened at the Pusan and Rome film festivals.
Written and directed by Shinya Tsukamoto and starring Ryuhei Matsuda, Masanobu Ando and singer Hitomi, the movie is the tale of a female detective investigating a pair of suicides mysteriously connected by the fact that both victims dialed zero on their mobile phones just seconds before they died.
The detective tracks down a man with the power to enter people's dreams, a device that enables Tsukamoto to put his idiosynchratic filming styles to good use.
Easternlight focuses on bringing Asian titles to audiences in the U.S. and Europe and has done business with the Weinsteins for several years, said Jonathan Deckter, president of international sales for Arclight Films.
- 12/12/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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