Whitech
It is not only a funny movie, but it allows a great amount of joy for anyone who watches it.
Jonah Abbott
There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.
Mehdi Hoffman
There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.
Boba_Fett1138
Kiyoshi Kurosawa movies at first sight always seem like some typical genre pieces but then he does something totally unexpected with its story and approach, with as a result that his movies are often something really special and unique to watch. Also often quite weird though, as is also the case with "Dopperugengâ".But unlike most of Kiyoshi Kurosawa's movies, this one doesn't take itself very seriously. It's also more of a comedy than anything else really. And this is what makes the movie such a perfectly watchable and entertaining one, even though at times you will most likely have no idea what is going on with its story.The movie has a pretty odd but yet intriguing main premise of an inventor, who is slowly starting to loose it and a doppelganger of him starts to appear, who seems to help him out with all of his problems. This is pretty most what the movie its first half is all about. In its second half things start to take an even more weird turn. I definitely liked the movie its more slower but stylish first half better than its insane second one but still overall it all remained good and entertaining enough to keep me watching and interested till the end.The entire movie sound weird but fact is that it's all done incredibly well. It's all nicely directed and told and also uses some good old fashioned trickery and true creativity, instead of some overly present CGI effects.All of the actors are really likable in their roles. Kôji Yakusho is an actor that works quite often together with Kiyoshi Kurosawa and he is also one of my favorite, still working, Japanese actors, who every now and then also pops up in a big Hollywood production.An unusual but unique and likable movie. Definitely not Kiyoshi Kurosawa's best or most interesting and provoking movie though.7/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/
JohnMoore
One of these days, I'll see one of these so-called "horror" films that Kiyoshi Kurosawa directs. This and "Bright Future" are the only two I've seen thus far and both were completely unexpected. Don't let the American box art deceive you: it's not a "frightening" film. However, it's fantastic. And truly bizarre. Assigning this film a genre is a ridiculous exercise. It shifts seamlessly between moments of high emotional drama, absurdist comedy, and violence. And underneath it all is an interesting exploration of the concept of self: The reconciliation of who one wants to be, who one is trying to avoid becoming, and who one is. As the credits rolled, I laughed, impressed. Don't go into the film with expectations. Just try it.
kayakofan
I've had never been disappointed by a Kurosawa film, but this is probably the first. "Doppelganger" is the worst I've seen from this director.Tartan Films is advertising this as "The most frightening film yet from Kiyoshi Kurosawa". What? The most frightening film from Kurosawa is definitely "Kairo". And if you think this is horror, your in for a surprise. This can't be classified as horror, or thriller. This is a drama, and a pretty bad one at that. A lot of scenes that were meant to be shocking have turned out being funny, and a lot of the plot is really confusing. And since it's Kurosawa, the pacing is slow. But it's so slow that you'll lose interest forty minutes in, and feel like doing something else. The thing that annoyed me the most was the use of CGI. Now CGI, if used well, can be really cool. But if executed with little care... It can be a disaster. I think that describes one scene here that has a very minimal use of CGI.The only positive thing I can give "Dopppelganger" is that it has really good acting. Koji Yakusho gives a great performance, along with the rest of the cast. But that's pretty much it...Please, do yourself a favor, and go watch "Kairo" or "Ko-Rei" if you want to be scared. This is a bad, bad attempt at a smart drama. Which it is intelligent, but... Well, there's a lot missing.3/10 for the good acting.
Rocco3000
Nothing wrong with this movie, but nothing particularly special about it either. It was a nice little drama, with some action, comedy and scary stuff added in for spice.It is all about one man's struggle to try and get what he really wants out of life (quit his job he hates, getting the pretty girl, etc), but never does. So his doppelganger (not necessarily evil, more like the person he always wanted to be, but was afraid of becoming) comes along and does it for him. Great acting, direction (great split screen usage), and an alright plot line keep you interested and entertained. Well worth seeing.6/10
