He is one of the world's most famous writers, possessing an imagination so vivid that his characters are taking on a life of their own. When they begin to call out to him, he has no choice but to answer. The line between reality and fantasy will be crossed. Now he is a man trapped in a web of intrigue, desire and madness, created by a mind that is spinning out of control. There is only one way back -- he will have to write as if his life depended on it. The Samuel Goldwyn Company presents the haunting and erotic film that has broken box office records in Japan -- THE MYSTERY OF RAMPO.
The Journey begins within the pages of a newspaper
Japan has embarked upon the path to the second World War. A melancholic Edogawa Rampo has been shown a newspaper article about a strange homicide by his editor, Masashi Yokomizo. It seems a local housewife has killed her husband by suffocating him in a nagamochi or trousseau chest.
A chill runs down Rampo's spine. The crime is exactly like the murder that takes place in a short story he recently completed. Can this be mere coincidence? It has to be since the piece was banned by the government, and therefore, unpublished.
Unable to hold back his curiosity, Rampo visits the woman in question, Shizuko. Wonder turns to horror when he finds that she is identical to the ideal woman he had created in his imagination. It is only natural for Rampo to fall in love with her, an attraction also shared by Shizuko. Inspired by his passion for this possible murderer, Rampo begins to write a sequel to his banned story.
An investigation ensues...
Rampo conjures the dashing detective Kogoro Akechi (Rampo's alter ego), who rescues a woman (looking exactly like Shizuko)from confinement at the mansion of the morbid marquis. The mysterious woman turns to Akechi for help, much like Shizuko to Rampo. He becomes so wrapped up in his writing that he starts to have the illusion that saving Shizuko and saving the woman in the story mean the same thing. Rampo's mind is troubled: He cannot save Shizuko now, because he has yet to write Akechi's rescue of the imaginary woman. Rampo must continue writing.
From the fevered imagination of an obsessed man,
a crime is about to be solved...
Turning away from the real Shizuko, Rampo absorbs himself in the world of his short story. In a bizarre twist of events, Shizuko disappears, only to resurface in Rampo's short story "world." Failing to save Shizuko in real life, Rampo struggles to protect Akechi in the story. Seeing no other recourse, Rampo himself enters the imaginary crime tale he has woven so intricately. It is not a journey without danger, as his own creation spins out of control -- and reality meets fantasy with a resounding
The Samuel Goldwyn Company and Team Okuyama present a Shochiku/Rampo Project production, THE MYSTERY OF RAMPO, starring Naoto Takenaka, Michiko Hada and Masahiro Motoki. The film is directed by Kazuyoshi Okuyama, who also serves as executive producer. THE MYSTERY OF RAMPO is produced by Yoshihisa Nakagawa. The screenplay is written by Kazuyoshi Okuyama & Yuhei Enoki. Also starring are Mikijiro Hira and Teruyuki Kagawa.
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