Combustion without flame

Rating: 8/10 (5 February 2004)

This story of sudden love between a middle-aged man and a young wife, disillusioned with her marriage and in poor spirits, in a Tokyo resplendent with lights and neon, is not very convincing for lack of enough definition and explanation of both characters. Nevertheless the story in itself is well told and Bill Murray makes an excellent imperturbable and somewhat phlegmatic typical American including in some funny situations like the one when he is visited in his hotel room by a modern geisha trying to offer him her massage ability in which he seems not to be really interested. There is not much more to say about this movie whose development including the final scenes, is predictable. We have seen this same theme of an impossible love developing itself in a combustion without flame in many other movies. We'd like to stress however, to its credit, that the story shows remarkable chastity avoiding the trap of the too easy outcome of lovers going hurriedly to bed with each other sometimes and in some movies in a nonsensical way like if sex, which is undoubtedly a very important thing, were the most important thing in this world and always unavoidable. This movie is also well made technically in an agile and lively cut made of short and contrasting expressive scenes. In short, you will neither gain not lose anything if you see this movie.