XX: Beautiful Prey

1996 1h 40m JA

😐

5.9

MID

★5.9TMDB · 17

ThrillerActionRomanceHorror

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

This Japanese thriller finds a sexy policewoman becoming entangled in Japan's S&M underground while investigating a gruesome murder. Soon, her investigation has led her to a seductive sadist and his equally appealing masochist victim. Falling prey to her suspects' powerful allure, she struggles to extricate herself from an increasingly torrid affair to solve the mystery she set out to investigate.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Ren Osugi
Tagari
Kei Marimura
Yu
Makiko Watanabe
Noriko
Minori Terada
Atsushi Okuno

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Toshiharu Ikeda
Writers: Setsu Yamaguchi, Tamiya Takebashi
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

30 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

CRAFT

Did you know

Part of the "XX" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Toshiharu Ikeda, shot by Haruhi Taguchi. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Fuji-Yama. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Yoshiyuki Abe shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Ren Osugi and Kei Marimura and Makiko Watanabe carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0229059 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Toshiharu Ikeda directs. Haruhi Taguchi behind the camera. Fuji-Yama scores. Yoshiyuki Abe cuts. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

130 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Part of the "XX" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Toshiharu Ikeda, shot by Haruhi Taguchi. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Fuji-Yama. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Yoshiyuki Abe shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Ren Osugi and Kei Marimura and Makiko Watanabe carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0229059 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 17 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.