Masquerade Hotel film

Masquerade Hotel is a long waited film by me. I looked it up all over the place (that being the Internet), but couldn't find it until one day when I just stumbled across it by mistake. I don't even remember what I was looking for, chances are I was randomly browsing films hoping to find something to watch when there it was. I did not hesitate and hit play immediately. 

One major reason why I wanted to watch this film is Takuya Kimura who plays the detective Kosuke Nitta. I first saw Takuya Kimura in Mr. Brain, a Japanese mini-series (8 episodes) and I liked him so much! He is a brilliant actor and has the most colourful laugh. There is no laughing in Masquerade Hotel, but if you feel like watching Mr. Brain or any other happier films of Takuya Kimura, you'll get what I mean. 

♦ ♦ ♦ THE PLOT IS AS FOLLOWS 

A serial killer is on the loose in Tokyo. Three murders already took place and the numbers left at the last crime scene indicate that the next murder will take place at Cortesia Hotel. In order to solve the case and catch the murderer, Kosuke Nitta goes undercover in the hotel. Naomi Yamagishi who works at the front desk is selected to train Kosuke, but the task proves to be challenging as their focus lie on the criminal in Kosuke's case, and on the customers in Naomi's case. 

♦ ♦ ♦ WHAT I THINK OF IT 

It was so fun watching Masquerade Hotel. I kept trying to figure out what was going on based on the little stories the characters tell throughout the film. I wondered if they are connected and if they are, how? 

I liked the dynamics between Kosuke and Naomi, they clashed so often, it was a challenge for both of them to work together. While Kosuke was indeed focused on catching the murderer, Naomi's focus was solely on the customer, making sure they are well accommodated and enjoy their stay at Cortesia Hotel. She was really devoted to her job and I admired her for it. 

The hotel, regarding the design, was so pleasing to look at. The way everything is filmed is so smooth, you can really tell a lot of work and thought went into producing Masquerade Hotel. 

With all my guesswork while watching it, I was glad to find out my intuition was right, but the outcome still took me by surprise, and I am such a big fan of surprises. For me what makes or breaks a film (or book for that matter) is the element of surprise. Even if I see it coming the manner in which it is delivered plays a big part and it can still be just as surprising as if I couldn't have guessed it at all. 

Masquerade Hotel is currently on my top favourite films list, so needless to say I recommend it. Especially if you like Japanese films or simply want to spice up your viewing experience.