Crwthod A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Adeel Hail Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Casey Duggan It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

jayg_58 I really wanted to like it - so I did. A murder mystery with a worn premise. Strange combination of 60% Japanese with subtitles and 40% English. Liked that too. Main character, Ayako Fujitani, is very good and takes a mean close-up. Very cute.People keep disappearing and identities are always in question. Nothing new, but with the conflageration of characters it was hard to follow, especially since most of the characters were Japanese. The protagonist was developed, but the antagonist could have been a whole movie.The problem was that this could easily have been a six part mini-series. There were so many characters and sub-plots, all introduced and abandoned. Each of these could have been a one or two hour episode instead of just dropped. In the end - it just ended. Then I saw the credits. 'Gofundme'. Apparently they were moving along at a brisk pace and suddenly ran out of money. 'Well, I guess that's a wrap, folks.' As the lawman stands on a dock with no visible means of escape, but the bad guy gets away anyway. Wheredidhego? After more funding? I enjoyed it anyway, just wish it had been 'finished'.

nbthalia This movie has a very promising start. A veteran sheriff squints through his windscreen as he drives down a mist-shrouded road. Suddenly, he strikes a pedestrian hard who collides with the windscreen and rolls off. Then he struggles to his feet and runs away. The film then descends into a confusing mêlée of American and Asian characters, subtitles and a strange and often baffling plot involving exotic pets and various unbelievable situations. For instance, would an attractive young lady really open her hotel door to admit an evil-looking character to use her phone, simply because he was of the same race as her, therefore presumably trustworthy? The acting can only be described as sluggish and underplayed to a torpor-inducing point. It was very consistent but not in a good way. By the way, could anyone explain why in a couple of scenes the (admittedly very decorative) female lead was shown toying with a cut-throat razor? My main gripe, though is that this movie is too slow and complex to really work well.

Red-Barracuda A small-town sheriff accidentally knocks down a man late at night on an isolated road. A Japanese crime novelist has a one night stand with a mysterious man who suddenly disappears. The two stories seem to be connected.Man from Reno is a San Francisco set neo-noir mystery. It is most distinctive for being an American/Japanese hybrid. This cross-cultural aspect probably contributes to this being a somewhat unpredictable film with genuinely unexpected moments. This, of course, is a very good thing in a mystery/detective movie. The story slowly reveals itself and contains several strange details which all eventually dovetail together. It is quite a complex plot though and its bilingual nature only adds to the complexity, so I feel this is a film in which a second viewing would add a lot and help capture details missed the first time around. Another strength is the very good acting performances. In particular, Auoko Fujitani and Pepe Serna, who play, respectively, the female crime writer and the sheriff. Both are fleshed out and convincing characters whom we believe in and care about.This is a very good and unusual mystery. It also has a fairly dark and uncompromising ending which only adds to its overall unpredictability and boldness of approach. This is one well worth seeking out.

Ivan Wheelwright Sometimes, in order to see a good story that breaks the formula, you just have to go Indie, and these guys deserve support and they spend that extra once of energy to get it the way it should be, and not a Hollywood by number cliché film. Dave Boyle again proves he is the King of Indie film-making with a continuous run of great films. He has retained his quirky sense of humor and wrapped it into a mystery story that .. well had me guessing. I won't even suggest a spoiler here as it's worth looking up if it's coming to a theater near you, or checking it out on Netflix or whatever Service you have available to you. Props to Shiori Ideta for her stone cold delivery of my favourite line in the film, selections of credit music and a great cast that includes some fantastic Japanese actors and a script that kept me guessing. Well done to Dave and the team at Tiger. Looking forward to seeing more films in the future, you've won a fan in Australia and will continue my support for your future endeavors. Ivan Wheelwright Adelaide Australia