特工佳丽

　　改编自今野敏小说《TOKAGE 特殊游击搜查队》，讲述曾隶属警视厅摩托车便衣搜查队“蜥蜴”的上野数马，为追查绑架案背后的黑幕重披战袍的故事。

　　Fraught with over obvious symbolism, Hartley's early feature is nonetheless a joy to watch. Hal here shows us his uncanny ability to cast his characters perfectly came early in his career.
　　Adrienne Shelley is a near perfect foil to herself, equal parts annoying teen burgeoning in her sexuality (though using sex for several years); obsessed with doom and inspired by idealism gone wrong she is deceptively – and simultaneously – complex and simple. Her Audrey inspires so many levels of symbolism it is almost embarrassingly rich (e.g., her modeling career beginning with photos of her foot – culminating her doing nude (but unseen) work; Manhattan move; Europe trip; her stealing, then sleeping with the mechanics wrench, etc.)
　　As Josh, Robert Burke gives an absolutely masterful performance. A reformed prisoner/penitent he returns to his home town to face down past demons, accept his lot and begin a new life. Dressed in black, and repeatedly mistaken for a priest, he corrects everyone ("I'm a mechanic"), yet the symbolism is rich: he abstains from alcohol, he practices celibacy (is, in fact a virgin), and seemingly has taken on vows of poverty, and humility as well. The humility seems hardest to swallow seeming, at times, almost false, a pretense. Yet, as we learn more of Josh we see genuineness in his modesty, that his humility is indeed earnest and believable. What seems ironic is the character is fairly forthright in his simplicity, yet so richly drawn it becomes the viewer who wants to make him out as more than what he actually is. A fascinatingly written character, perfectly played.
　　The scene between Josh and Jane (a wonderful, young Edie Falco . . . "You need a woman not a girl") is hilarious . . . real. But Hartley can't leave it as such and his trick, having the actors repeat the dialogue over-and-over becomes frustratingly "arty" and annoying . . . until again it becomes hilarious. What a terrific sense of bizarre reality this lends the film (like kids in a perpetual "am not"/"are too" argument).
　　Hartley's weaves all of a small neighborhood's idiosyncrasies into a tapestry of seeming stereotypes but which delves far beneath the surface, the catalyst being that everyone believes they know what the "unbelievable truth" of the title is, yet no two people can agree (including our hero) on what exactly that truth is. A wonderful little movie with some big ideas.

　　生活在福幼中心的彬彬（小彬彬 饰）人小鬼大，和一班小朋友时常令恶声恶气的中心余总监（曾志伟 饰）无可奈何。这天，彬彬受童话启发，离园外出探险，偶遇魔术师兄妹俩富（岑建勋 饰）和嘉（张艾嘉 饰）。嘉嗜赌成性，并利用魔术表演偷窃，却被彬彬撞破了好事。嘉因为欠下赌债，连累富被讨债公司追索，富为了帮助入监的妹妹还钱，铤而走险卷入抢劫事件，又阴差阳错结识彬彬。富为人心地善良，将彬彬带回家中一同生活，而彬彬也爱上了这位卷毛“魔法师”。嘉终于重获自由，而此时，彬彬和富变得难分难舍。作为福幼中心的孩子，彬彬难免被收养，这令大小二人深感不舍……

　　永禄9年（1566），适值日本战国时代，8名落魄武士逃到某山村，从此解甲归田，过起普通农夫的生活。不久，毛利一族追查藏匿武士，村民庄左卫门（桥本功 饰）设计将武士们杀害。武士临死前放下诅咒，陷害他们之人必死于非命。在此之后，诅咒应验，包括庄左卫门在内8人死亡，村子也改名为八墓村。
　　昭和24年，在东京担任飞机领航员的寺田辰弥（萩原健一 饰）突然得知自己竟是冈山县八墓村大家族多治见家的孩子，时当主多治见久弥（山崎努 饰）病入膏肓，辰弥作为遗产继承人被召回八墓村。然此行注定险恶非常，迎接他的外祖父井川丑松（加藤嘉 饰）刚一见面即遭毒杀。辰弥从村人口中知晓八墓村的由来，更得知庄左卫门即多治见家的祖先。非正常死亡事件接连发生，究竟是武士绵延400年的诅咒？还是其后另有阴谋？
　　本片根据推理小说家横沟正史同名原著改编。