"Kansen" had a chance at being a potentially good horror movie, and I do mean HAD. It attempted to devote enough focus on both characters and suspense thus creating the perfect atmosphere for a horror movie. The likable characters mean that these people meant to die wouldn't be just faceless victims but people with lives and worries of their own. Sadly enough, bad film-making ruins this opportunity and regrettably we are stuck with another one of those below-average horror movies.
Directed by Masayuki Ochiai "Kansen" centers around a hospital on the edge of bankruptcy. With only minimal staff, and equipment the remaining doctors and nurses left are under severe pressure trying to do their jobs. Things get even worse when due to a momentary block Dr. Akiba (played by Kôichi Satô) accidentally orders the injection of sodium chlorate on a burnt victim, killing him instantly. After a brief moment of panic and confusion where the characters engage in a lengthly conversation about what to do, they are finally persuaded by Dr. Uozumi ( played by Masanobu Takashima) not to report the accident and thus not ruining their own careers. The real fun begins when a mysterious man bearing a highly contagious decease is found near the emergency room shortly after the burnt man's death. The decease is extremely lethal as the staff soon discovers.
First things first, the plot. It's an interesting premise, one that holds a lot of potential, and it's a shame because it wasn't exploited nearly as good as it could have been. The psychological elements are weakly developed, the plot twist at the end turns the whole thing into confusing mess that barely makes any sense at all. Perhaps director Ochiai wanted a more open for interpretation finale, but he seemed to forget that in order for such thing to exist one must first add enough content in the movie itself. And this is not done. Anyways, moving toward other points. Characters. They are just too stereotyped, with Dr. Akiba being the moral conscience of the group while Dr. Uozomi his stellar opposites. In fact when thinking about it all the characters present a certain type of behavior and another character would often exhibit the opposite manner (the clumsy, weak nurse and the bossy nurse come in mind). This whole limitation of their point of view does hurt the movie, because it makes these people unrealistic, like comic book characters, they are too strongly defined as following just one type of behavior. And there is that problem involving some of the supporting characters (mainly patients) being a bit too annoying (yes I do mean the crazy old lady with that one). For all the good it does, the main actors did their jobs commendable, nothing all that astonishing in terms of skill but it didn't detract the movie's quality further.
And now my main gripe with "Kansen". You see I could have swallowed the loose plot and unmemorable characters had there been some good frightening moments. Well to be blunt, the only frightening thing is that someone actually thinks that green slime is scary. Green slime ?! What the hell? And that is practically the main moving mechanism of the "chill" inspiring horror direction oh and, throw in some random shots of swings swinging that will get the mood up, yeah right. So for future references, unless we are talking about "The Blob" green-slime equals laughably bad way of creating tension.
"Kansen" is a so-so psychological horror movie that lacks atmosphere, lacks strong characters, lacks coherent plot. Masayuki Ochiai just failed to tap on the potential offered by the premise, a story about a medical mistake could have been turned into something far more interesting had he decided not to use the god damn green slime.
Directed by Masayuki Ochiai "Kansen" centers around a hospital on the edge of bankruptcy. With only minimal staff, and equipment the remaining doctors and nurses left are under severe pressure trying to do their jobs. Things get even worse when due to a momentary block Dr. Akiba (played by Kôichi Satô) accidentally orders the injection of sodium chlorate on a burnt victim, killing him instantly. After a brief moment of panic and confusion where the characters engage in a lengthly conversation about what to do, they are finally persuaded by Dr. Uozumi ( played by Masanobu Takashima) not to report the accident and thus not ruining their own careers. The real fun begins when a mysterious man bearing a highly contagious decease is found near the emergency room shortly after the burnt man's death. The decease is extremely lethal as the staff soon discovers.
First things first, the plot. It's an interesting premise, one that holds a lot of potential, and it's a shame because it wasn't exploited nearly as good as it could have been. The psychological elements are weakly developed, the plot twist at the end turns the whole thing into confusing mess that barely makes any sense at all. Perhaps director Ochiai wanted a more open for interpretation finale, but he seemed to forget that in order for such thing to exist one must first add enough content in the movie itself. And this is not done. Anyways, moving toward other points. Characters. They are just too stereotyped, with Dr. Akiba being the moral conscience of the group while Dr. Uozomi his stellar opposites. In fact when thinking about it all the characters present a certain type of behavior and another character would often exhibit the opposite manner (the clumsy, weak nurse and the bossy nurse come in mind). This whole limitation of their point of view does hurt the movie, because it makes these people unrealistic, like comic book characters, they are too strongly defined as following just one type of behavior. And there is that problem involving some of the supporting characters (mainly patients) being a bit too annoying (yes I do mean the crazy old lady with that one). For all the good it does, the main actors did their jobs commendable, nothing all that astonishing in terms of skill but it didn't detract the movie's quality further.
And now my main gripe with "Kansen". You see I could have swallowed the loose plot and unmemorable characters had there been some good frightening moments. Well to be blunt, the only frightening thing is that someone actually thinks that green slime is scary. Green slime ?! What the hell? And that is practically the main moving mechanism of the "chill" inspiring horror direction oh and, throw in some random shots of swings swinging that will get the mood up, yeah right. So for future references, unless we are talking about "The Blob" green-slime equals laughably bad way of creating tension.
"Kansen" is a so-so psychological horror movie that lacks atmosphere, lacks strong characters, lacks coherent plot. Masayuki Ochiai just failed to tap on the potential offered by the premise, a story about a medical mistake could have been turned into something far more interesting had he decided not to use the god damn green slime.