Amalfi

Amalfi

Synopsis

A Japanese girl was abducted during Christmas time in the city of Amalfi, Rome, Italy. That’s when the story begins as Kuroda who is foreign diplomat learns of the incident, launches an investigation. Not known to him, he would soon fall in love with the girl’s mother and complication ensues.

Official Site: NA

Singapore Release Date: 22nd October 2009, Thursday

Running Time: 125 minutes

Ratings: G

Genre: Drama

Cast: Yûji Oda, Erika Toda, Kôichi Satô, Nene Otsuka, Atsushi Itô, Akira Onodera, Mitsuru Hirata, Shirô Sano, Ayane Omori, Sarah Brightman, Masaharu Fukuyama, Yûki Amami, Ugo De Cesare, Kiichi Nakai, Nico Toffoli

Crew: Director (Hiroshi Nishitani), Writers (Yûichi Shinbo), Screenplay (Yûichi Shinbo, Hiroshi Nishitani)

The Trailer

The Review

This is just a long winded boring draggy movie for me. Yet it might have the big names such as Oda Yuji and Amami Yuki, but ensemble of such stars ain’t enough to save the predictable sinking plot.

The movie was excruciatingly two hour long for me, and I fault the editor for most parts.

There were plenty of redundant scenes, plus the editing was horrible, leaving little to be desired for me, as I was hanging in the theatre ‘forced’ to watch the awkward transition scenes that went botchy.

Oda Yuji plays Kuroda Kousaku, a diplomat sent to Rome, Italy, to make arrangements for the Foreign Minister overseas visit. While at the same moment, single mum Yagami Saeko (Amami Yuki) who was in Italy for holiday cum eye operation was aghast to find her daughter missing.

Yagami, now turned damsel in distress by then, turns to the Japanese embassy for help, and Kuroda handles the case with his trainee interpreter Adachi Kanae (Toda Erika) fumbling along as the movie only comedic relief.

Basically the movie tells of an abduction that is more than meets the eye. The thriller has twists and turn which is pretty much predictable for me. The climax was more an anti-climax for me.

The movie however was beautifully shot, being it was entirely filmed in Italy, but despite most of the action which happened in Rome, and not Amalfi, the movie was title the latter.

My recommendation, give this one a miss, unless you’re really a big fan of the stars in the film.

The Good

• Pretty looking cast
• Has the hallmark of your usual suspense thriller

The Bad

• Your butt will ache
• Reminds me of a travel movie than a thriller
• You’ll be tempted to leave halfway through the movie

Editor’s Ratings