Chaos

After dining with her wealthy, older husband, a lovely trophy wife suddenly vanishes--the apparent victim of a kidnapping (as a threatening phone call to her spouse reveals)--and then things start to get, well, a little chaotic. A shift back in time suggests that the abduction might have been set up by the wife, an explanation that falls more and more into doubt as subsequent narrative threads begin to unravel in this brainteaser where nothing is quite as it initially (or even secondarily) seems. Like Memento and Mulholland Drive, it may take more than one viewing to figure out this convoluted, slow-to-build thriller from director Hideo Nakata (Ringu, remade in the U.S. as The Ring). Ultimately, however, while the fractured presentation is definitely stylish, and the low-key score lends a subtly creepy air to the already menacing proceedings, this exercise may be a bit too complex for its own good. A strong optional purchase. (T. Rich)