Confessions of a Dog is a story of police corruption of the most vile sort. It involves police running drugs, killing snitches, beating their captives, guilty and innocent alike, and lying about all of it with a straight face to the Japanese press, who question nothing. As one editor says in the film, "the police investigate the crimes, we report their findings". That is it, no more work to be done. Unless of course, you are Kusama, a freelance investigative reporter, not something terribly common in Takahashi's Japan. Kusama knows there is something fishy about the police force, but he needs a partner to help him break the story and get attention. Kusama finds a partner and finds his story in Takeda, a hulking beat cop who gets moved up the ranks a little at a time, losing a bit of himself every step of the way.
Takeda's descent into corruption is not a sudden thing. It isn't like he was offered a briefcase full of cash one day and he took the Devil's bargain and ran with it. It all starts out with a beat cop trying to do a good job. His superiors realize that he is good at taking orders, and they begin stretching him, like a rubber band, to see how far he'll go before he snaps back. Turns out, Takeda is pretty damned flexible, and he slowly begins to convince himself of the necessity of the more and more nefarious acts he's asked to do. He begins to lose his moral compass and inch his way past the point of no return. His conversion is insidious. Once in a while we watch the character moving in the wrong direction and then he stops and looks back, realizing that what he's doing it questionable, only to turn back around and put his head down, plowing through his own better judgment toward the will of his keepers.
Of all of the institutions and traditions in Japan that have changed since the end of World War II, if Confessions of a Dog is to be believed, we must say that the police never lost that Imperial spirit. They retain the "do-or-die" mentality from those days when Japan nearly drove itself into the ground. Takeda is the Kamikaze pilot, and like any successful Kamikaze pilot, he destroys a lot of lives and in return he gives up his own, until he is the titular dog, confessing his own sins in a prison cell where no one can hear him any longer.
Gen Takahashi took a chance and, while it may not have made him wealthy, he can certainly hold his head high. Confessions of a Dog is three hours and fifteen minutes of epic drama, that builds to a crescendo which should be loud, but ultimately ends up getting shouted into a long empty hallway. What's interesting is that the Takeda character at the end of the film is really not all that different from the Takeda character at the beginning. It is all that Takeda in the middle, the angry, violent, corrupt Takeda that is the problem.
Yes, there are other characters in the film, but they really are just support. Shun Sugata carries the entire weight of the massively intense subject matter on his broad shoulders, and manages it effectively. He is imposing when he needs to be, and ingratiating when he wants to be, he is the perfect Takeda. As I watched the film, I became more and more engrossed in the characters, but it was really that finale that sold me. Gen Takahashi managed to boil down the previous three hours into five minutes or less of dramatic aside, that renders the entire rest of the film in a new light. It really kicked me in the gut, and made me respect him for the tough job he chose to take up, and the amazing way he pulled it off.
The Disc:
Third Window has given Confessions of a Dog a wonderful limited edition package. The video for the film does somewhat betray its low-budget origin. The movie was not shot on film, and back in 2005 digital video was nowhere near the quality it is today. I'm relatively sure that the film as seen on this DVD is accurate to what the film looks like at its best. The audio is similarly modest, but clean and clear, with dialogue that is easy to hear and clear, well-translated subtitles.
The extra material in this package make it Third Window's most thorough treatment of any film yet. The extras include no less than three different interviews with director Gen Takahashi at three different venues, with very little overlapping material. These interviews are really great, and help to contextualize the film, and Takahashi's personal and second hand experiences that led to the creation of Confessions of a Dog. Also included is a 40 minute subtitled making-of video with deleted scenes. This is more like a fly on the wall piece with interspersed interviews and notes from the director. Still, it is interesting to watch the sausage being made, if you're into that kind of thing. Rounding out the extras are trailers for Confessions of a Dog and other Third Window releases.
Confessions of a Dog packs quite a punch, and it is easy to see why it made people so uncomfortable in Japan. I am very glad that it is finally making the rounds, though, and it should be seen by anyone with any interest in Japanese culture, society, police culture, or social culture. Third Window has released Confessions of a Dog in a limited edition of 1,000 pieces, each containing a collectible postcard featuring a 35mm film cell. Get yours now!
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