''Seventh Code'' is a 2013 Japanese action thriller film written and directed by

Kiyoshi Kurosawa is a Japanese film director, screenwriter, film critic, author, actor, and a former professor at Tokyo University of the Arts (2005-2023). Noted for his psychological films that often focus on ambiguous narratives and on their characters' i ...

, starring

Atsuko Maeda is a Japanese actress and singer. She is a former member of the idol girl group AKB48, and was one of the most prominent members in the group at the time, regarded as the group's "absolute ace", "immovable center", and the "Face of AKB." After ...

. It won the Best Director award and the Best Technical Contribution award at the 8th

Rome Film Festival International Rome Film Fest is a film festival that takes place in Rome during the month of October. The name in Italian is Festa del Cinema di Roma. From 2022, the festival was officially recognized as a competitive festival by the Internation ...

. The film was released in Japan on January 11, 2014.

Plot

Akiko (

), a young woman, comes to

Vladivostok Vladivostok ( ; , ) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai and the capital of the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia. It is located around the Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea of Japan, covering an area o ...

to meet Matsunaga (Ryohei Suzuki), a young businessman she has met in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

only once. Akiko finally finds Matsunaga. However, he leaves her again, warning her not to trust strangers in a foreign country. She tries to follow him, but she is attacked by thugs and dumped on the outskirts of town.

Cast

as Akiko *

Ryohei Suzuki is a Japanese actor who is represented by the talent agency Horipro. Early life and studies Suzuki became interested in learning English after a visit to an uncle, who was living in Los Angeles when he was in Elementary school. He and his br ...

as Matsunaga * Aissy as Hsiao-yen * Hiroshi Yamamoto as Saito

Reception

Deborah Young of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' gave ''Seventh Code'' a mixed review, where she found the "closely observed emotions" that were typical of Kurosawa's other works such as his ''

Tokyo Sonata is a 2008 Japanese psychological drama film directed and co-written by Kiyoshi Kurosawa. It stars Teruyuki Kagawa, Kyōko Koizumi, Yū Koyanagi and Kai Inowaki as an emotionally distant middle-class family of four who all individually come to ...

'' film and his made-for-TV serial drama ''

Penance Penance is any act or a set of actions done out of contrition for sins committed, as well as an alternative name for the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession. The word ''penance'' derive ...

'' were "decidedly missing". Jay Weissberg of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' described the film as "a quirky one-hour caper designed as a showcase for singer-actress Atsuko Maeda." Dan Fainaru of ''

Screen International ''Screen International'' is a British film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by Media Business Insight, a British B2B media company which also owned '' Broadcast''. The magazine is primarily aimed at those involv ...

'' noted that "each of the film's sequences are shot and directed with the smooth, precise authority that clearly attests to Kurosawa's high professional standards." Mark Schilling of ''

The Japan Times ''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo. History ''The Japan Times'' was launched by ...

'' gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, commenting that "Maeda is not about to become a new action superstar from her work in ''Seventh Code'', but it might well extend her appeal beyond her AKB48 fan base."

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Seventh Code 2013 films 2013 action thriller films Films directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa Japanese action thriller films Films set in Russia Films shot in Russia 2010s Japanese films