While there has always been a bit of a U.S. interest in Asian films, it has only been over the past few years that these films have begun to crossover to mainstream audiences. Films like “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” paved the way for the more recent “Hero” and “House of Flying Daggers”, while the horror films “Ringu” and “Ju-On” have both spawned American remakes. As this market grows, there are more and more Asian films heading to our shores so the tough part is finding the good ones. One of the studios that has been building a reputation for finding and releasing some of the better Asian movies is Tartan Films. Just last month saw the theatrical release of “A Tale of Two Sisters”, which was an excellent psychological horror film. This month they are releasing two more thrillers on DVD under their ‘Tartan Asian Extreme’ collection, “Doppelganger” and “Phone.” Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, “Doppelganger” hits us with the familiar theory that everyone has a double somewhere in the world.

It is a theme that has been seen on older episodes of “The Twilight Zone” and been the subject of more than a few movies. Kurosawa’s take introduces us to a scientist by the name of Hayasaki (Koji Yakusho), who is a relatively quiet man living a quiet, less than fulfilling life. He is a man used to being a doormat and readily accepting whatever life throws at him… until the day he meets his double.

The appearance of this ‘doppelganger’ does nothing to make his life any easier. Though they look the same, their personalities are as different as night and day. The look-alike is almost like a Mr. Hyde for Hayasaki’s Dr. Jekyll. He is aggressive and unhampered by the apprehensions of most men. What he wants… he takes. This of course causes no end of trouble for Hayasaki as the two learn to live with the knowledge each other’s existence.

What I found interesting about “Doppelganger” is that it doesn’t come across as a conventional horror film and at its core, I suppose it is not. What starts out as a somewhat frightening look at the possibilities this circumstance provides, turns into more of a character study of two geometrically opposed individuals. There are some strong scenes of violence, but these make way for a more cerebral, and sometimes confusing, approach to the subject.

I say confusing only because where the film seems fairly straightforward during its first half, there is a point in the movie where the structure of the film made me feel as though Kurosawa wasn’t sure where to take the story. It was almost like watching two different films. What initially seemed was going to be a horror film started to mix in some unusually placed humor. There were moments where it almost felt like I was watching two different movies. Of course, in retrospect I wonder if stylistically he was trying to give “Doppelganger” two distinct personalities as a reflection of the main characters involved.

Still, I enjoyed the film as a whole immensely, in part due to the amazing performance by Yakusho. He does a terrific job of creating these two separate, yet believable characters. This is heightened by the flawless camera work that allowed him to be in so any scenes where he acted against himself. I was reminded of some of the work done in the later ‘Back to the Future” films, only I have to say the years of refinement to the process have made scenes like these look seamless.

The DVD offers up a “Making of…” featurette as well as an interview with the director. The sub-titled featurette runs a little under 20 minutes and actually gives quite an in-depth look at the making of the film, including details on how the scenes with Hayasaki and his ‘doppelganger’ were shot. But the real gold of the disc is in the short interview with the director. Also sub-titled, Kurosawa does a great job of explaining why he chose to go off in the odd direction the film ended up taking. I found myself with a better understanding of the movie as a whole after viewing the interview.

“Doppelganger” is a good, if not great addition to the list of Asian titles hitting out shores and one I would recommend at least to those who are used to the non-Hollywood style of storytelling.

Directed by: Kurosawa Kiyoshi
Starring: Koji Yakusho,
Extras: Trailer, TV Spots, Making Of, Interview with Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa,
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Tartan
Release Date: 1/25/2005
Region 1
MPAA Rating: R (Violence and Language)
Website

We'll give Doppelganger a B-.