Sophisticated City

Sakamaki dropped out of university and lives nihilistically every day. Every now and then, he receives strange phone calls at his home. The calls, which only mention the name of the place and a description of the caller, such as "Ikebukuro, a woman with long hair", are in fact murder threats. Sakamaki realises this and takes Mabuchi, a friend from his university days whom he met by chance, around to witness the crime, saying he will "show him something interesting". Sakamaki lies to Mabuchi, who blames him when he discovers his true intentions and lies about the impotence of human beings. Sakamaki has an experience from his high school days when a classmate committed suicide in front of him. However, something changes in Sakamaki after Mabuchi risks his life to save him from his own suicide attempt. He believes that the motive for the crime lies in loneliness, so he runs through the crowd to save the killer.

Directed by Ayumi Iino, Sophisticated City leans on a strong ensemble — Yuu Suzuki, Reiko Nakagawa, Hidenori Ishiyama — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about screen titles of 1996.