Death Note (Desu nôto) (2006)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Zach B

  
  The beauty of DEATH NOTE is not how the mythology of Japanese Death Gods (Shinigami) is represented, but how this film takes an original concept from a wonderful manga, and makes it into it's own living, breathing version that stands on it's own. When adapting something from… More
  The beauty of DEATH NOTE is not how the mythology of Japanese Death Gods (Shinigami) is represented, but how this film takes an original concept from a wonderful manga, and makes it into it's own living, breathing version that stands on it's own. When adapting something from another medium, except if it is by experts, it is bound to not be... pretty. Here, it is different on numerous accounts, but it is in a way that makes it different, unique, and my own preference to the tale of Light Yagami. Maybe the reason why I am giving this telling of the story so much praise is due to this being how I was introduced to the series. As such, this is the one I mostly follow and prefer. But, what is it that makes this film work? Personally, I think it is one of the following: the direction, writing, the acting of Ken'ichi Matsuyama, and the effects of Ryuk. So, might as well start with direction. I have followed the films of Shusuke Kaneko for quite some time. He is a talented director when he was making The Gamera Trilogy and the Godzilla film Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidora: Giant Monsters All Out Attack. With this film, I was interested in how he could handle it which, to my shock, he is able to make a film that can easily rival either GMK or Gamera 3: Awakening Of Iris (the films that are considered his best). The main thing about his direction with this film I like will have to be how he stages the deaths of criminals, set the atmosphere of dread, and how he was able to cut off this film with a wonderful cliff hanger that does make you want to see part two as soon as possible. Now, there is a problem with adapting this film from a manga: they were only able to get pieces every week as DEATH NOTE was serialized in Shonen Jump magazine during the making of the film. From what they had to work with, I go back to when I said that this film is one of my favorite adaptions of any film I have seen. The main reason why is due to how this film takes a life on it's own, creates a parallel timeline from the manga and anime counterparts, and yet it able to improve on the original manga. The main problem I had with the manga would be the amount of characters that were featured and how long it ran. Here, they fix those problems by eliminating all extraneous characters and only kept to those that are needed for the story while adding a few to help with the story. Now, that is what I like: keeps the spirit of the original, while being it's own. Ken'ichi Matsuyama. Wow. It is hard for me to explain his acting in this film as he done what Heath Ledger, Noomi Rapace, and Rooney Mara would later do in film: totally become this character physically, emotionally, and mentally. Matsuyama gives one hell of a performance as L and, it is just amazing. The main example of this is how we first see him half way through the film. How he personifies the character, make him come to life, plus able to just breathe life into him is beyond inspiring. Besides, seeing all of the sweets he had to eat during the film, I am wondering how he did not put on any weight or got diabetes. I know he made the character real, but I don't think he can burn sugar the same way the L in the manga can. Finally for the character I wanted to see brought to life more than any other: Ryuk. Originally, I had no idea how the hell they were going to do that. I mean, if you are aware of the source material, you know all about Ryuk and what he looks like. So, to see him brought to life the way they did, I will admit that I was content. I still wonder how things would have been if they got a human to portray Ryuk instead of making him CGI. Just a thought I have. But for CGI, and what I think CGI should be used for, I would say that the effects in this film will have to be some of the best used I have seen as of now. While I have praised this film, it goes without saying that I do have one complaint about this film. Mainly it has to deal with the pacing of the film. You see, this film's main problem is that it is slow and rarely moves onward. At all. This is a problem because the entire cat and mouse game between L and Light that plays through out this film makes you get to the edge of your seat, but the pacing just kind of kills it for me. As I have said a few times as is: this is one of the best adaptions of any manga I have seen. From a stellar performance that should have been nominated for Best Foreign actor to incredible CGI, this film is a must to see. With the exception of the pacing. That should have been improved on.

• Stephen M

  
  Disgusted with the way that criminals perpetually seem to escape justice, Light Yagami, a brilliant law student, turns vigilante when he stumbles upon a magic notebook which gives him the ability to kill by remote control. The general public, delighted with the reduction in the crime… More
  Disgusted with the way that criminals perpetually seem to escape justice, Light Yagami, a brilliant law student, turns vigilante when he stumbles upon a magic notebook which gives him the ability to kill by remote control. The general public, delighted with the reduction in the crime rate, embrace him as a folk hero, whom they dub "Kira"; the police, believing they are searching for an omnipotent serial killer, are less enthusiastic. To be quite honest, I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy this at first. Financed by Japanese television, it has a whiff of cheapness about it, and the central conceit - a notebook which brings a speedy demise to anybody whose name is entered within - stuck me as being neither very original nor particularly intriguing. However, after a humdrum opening things pick up considerably as Light embarks upon a deadly game of cat and mouse with the super-brain behind the police investigation, the murders become increasingly elaborate and the law student is forced to abandon the moral high ground in order to keep one step ahead of the chase. Full of nifty twists and turns, frequently ingenious and tremendously entertaining, I'm looking forward to the second part...

• Lewis C

  
  Light, a very intelligent law school student in Japan who's grown frustrated and disillusioned with the inefficiencies and limitations of the legal system, happens to acquire a Death Note, a book that allows you to kill by simply writing a name. As he picks up his pen and begins… More
  Light, a very intelligent law school student in Japan who's grown frustrated and disillusioned with the inefficiencies and limitations of the legal system, happens to acquire a Death Note, a book that allows you to kill by simply writing a name. As he picks up his pen and begins a crusade to permanently rid the world of criminals, he attracts the attention of L, an equally brilliant man who seeks to catch him like it's a game. The escalating game of cat and mouse between the two begins to involve more casualties than just criminals. I've gotta admit, Death Note is pretty awesome. I'm sure some nuance or details were left out in the translation from manga/anime to a 2 hour movie (I haven't seen the series or read the manga), but what shows up here is a surprisingly smart and sharp story about the intertwining of good and evil, and what really constitutes justice.

• Tsubaki S

  
  You have a clever premise, full of potential to explore the morals and ethics of deciding over the lifes of others. What do you do? You put the most annoying dbag of a protagonist you could get, then you put an equally tedious antagonist. They are both super smart, super good looking… More
  You have a clever premise, full of potential to explore the morals and ethics of deciding over the lifes of others. What do you do? You put the most annoying dbag of a protagonist you could get, then you put an equally tedious antagonist. They are both super smart, super good looking ,and super boring to watch. Just like the entire movie.

• Lady D

  
  Well it certainly begs the question 'what would you do if you came across the Death Note?' Providing a possible solution to the World's crime problem, the Death Note is a simple theory, but where do you draw the line? What starts out as a selfless act, becomes more… More
  Well it certainly begs the question 'what would you do if you came across the Death Note?' Providing a possible solution to the World's crime problem, the Death Note is a simple theory, but where do you draw the line? What starts out as a selfless act, becomes more of the opposite when the Intelligent killer meets his match and has to cover tracks. Entertaining, cleverly thought through in parts and an original plot.

• Dean M

  
  Absolutely cult classic based on the Magna & Anime and more smartest on the ultimate serial killer known as Kira who possesses the Death Note - a supernatural notebook with the power to kill. He made the perfect tricks onto the police & FBI who are on the case to find the… More
  Absolutely cult classic based on the Magna & Anime and more smartest on the ultimate serial killer known as Kira who possesses the Death Note - a supernatural notebook with the power to kill. He made the perfect tricks onto the police & FBI who are on the case to find the mysterious ultimate serial killer.<br/><br />The actor choices were pretty good - Tatsuya Fujiwara was, and still, well-known for his on-stage productions, and Kenichi Matsuyama's L / Ryuuzaki was awesome! His every 'weird and strange' movements were exactly how I imagined the actual L would be.

• Will T

  
  This movie is awful, anime doesn't transfer well into film, and this film fails on so many levels. Don't give these films any money, they suck.

• Justin F

  
  What a damn fine film this is? Dont worry if you are not a horror fan as it is not a horror film. It has some really interesting concepts including how power corrupts and how initial good intentions can turn out to do anything but good. Light is a very bright student from a loving… More
  What a damn fine film this is? Dont worry if you are not a horror fan as it is not a horror film. It has some really interesting concepts including how power corrupts and how initial good intentions can turn out to do anything but good. Light is a very bright student from a loving family whos Dad is also a Police detective. He finds a book in an alley that upon reading it tells him that any name written in will kill that person. One downside (and just a little bit trippy) is that anyone who touches the book is able to see the Death Demon to whom the book belongs (all very bizarre). Light decides to use it to bump off Tokyos criminal element but despite huge public acclaim this incurrs the wrath of the authorities. The Police then start an investigation and are contacted by Japans equivalent of Cracker, a character who is referred to as L. A game of cat and mouse ensues with each trying to outsmart the other. A very original story that asks questions about right and wrong and the danger of wielding extreme power and how it can change a person. Light becomes a cult hero and he enjoys this attention. The contest between Light and L is a fascinating one with both going to extreme lengths to outdo the other and the story ends nicely setup for a sequel.

• Marion R

  
  I am rating the live action film. It doesn't hold up to the anime, I felt that Light was more evil and calculative in the anime than in the film. I did enjoy Matsuyama as L he did a good job.

• Bill C

  
  I watched the live action version and loved it before the original anime series. The story Light Yagami a top of his class but outwardly normal guy. Finds the “Death note” book that belongs to the Shimigami Yuko. Yuko is a 8 foot exaggerated Keith Richards taken to extreme demi-devil… More
  I watched the live action version and loved it before the original anime series. The story Light Yagami a top of his class but outwardly normal guy. Finds the “Death note” book that belongs to the Shimigami Yuko. Yuko is a 8 foot exaggerated Keith Richards taken to extreme demi-devil with oversized bulbous eyes with glowing red pupils. The Death note book allows any one to kill anyone just by writing there name in the book with option to describe how they die. There are a few provisos, every Deus Ex Machina need some to make it interesting. Except in this movie the writers are so concerned with logical continuity they must be experts at debugging Fortran. I have only seen volume 1 so far. It focuses more on Light and the Yuki and the other the shimigami relationship more the live action version. It reminded me of how little I cared for winy Light Yagmi as a character. I’m hoping the volume 2 and on concentrate on the eccentric L.

• Adam M

  
  Cool Japanese fantasy/crime thriller about a brilliant but bored student, Light, who gets to play God(or Death) when a Death God named Ryuk drops a special note book that, whenever a persons name is written in it, kills them almost instantly. The student takes it upon himself to rid… More
  Cool Japanese fantasy/crime thriller about a brilliant but bored student, Light, who gets to play God(or Death) when a Death God named Ryuk drops a special note book that, whenever a persons name is written in it, kills them almost instantly. The student takes it upon himself to rid the world of crminals. But hot on his tail is a world famous but unconventional detective, L, who attempts to unravel the seemingly random deaths of criminals. Well written, clever with moments of humour, its clear to see why this was such a hit.

• Anthony V

  
  Great, inventive anime. Lots of twists.

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