DEATH NOTE

Synopsis:

• A young man finds a mysterious notebook where if he writes a person's name in it, that person will die.

Pro:

• Very interesting premise
• One is reminded of two sayings watching the main character's progression through the movie: "the road to hell is paved with good intentions" and "absolute power corrupts absolutely"
• There is a strong detective element in this movie - very clever how the detective deduces who the mysterious killer of criminals could be
• The Death God is a very amusing character
• The main characters have varying shades of gray to them - even the detective uses some morally questionable methods to try to achieve his goals

Con:

• The movie ends as a setup for future sequels a la Pirates of the Caribbean 2
• The pace may be a little too slow for some viewers

Notable:

• This is a live-action movie adapted from a popular manga series
• There are some horror elements, but there is no gore and nothing scary to freak anyone out like The Grudge or The Ring

Bottom line:

• This is an enjoyable detective movie with elements of horror and fantasy thrown in.  That said, as I have not read the manga, I cannot say how closely this movie mirrors the manga series.  There are some good cat-and-mouse scenes where the detective and the character with the notebook indirectly match wits with each other..  It was interesting watching the character with the notebook initially use it with good intentions, but becomes more and more evil as the movie progresses.  Recommended for fans of detective movies who don't mind waiting a year or so for resolution to the story.

gb!