The Devil's Path

When yakuza thug Junji Sudo (actor and musician Pierre Taki) lands behind bars on death row, he seeks out journalist Shuichi Fujii (Takayuki Yamada) in order to publicly reveal the details of three unknown murders and implicate his accomplice—a real estate broker who goes by “Doc” (Lily Franky)—who Sudo insists is the true mastermind behind his crimes. Against his editor’s wishes, Fujii investigates Sudo’s claims and starts to uncover the grisly details of each horrifying murder. Based on true crime cases, The Devil’s Path is a dark vision of mankind’s capacity for evil that catapulted the career of Kazuya Shiraishi, one of the most prolific Japanese directors of the last decade. Please note: This film contains disturbing scenes of graphic violence. Viewer discretion is advised.

• Winner, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress at 2013 Hochi Film Awards
• Nominee, Picture of the Year, Director of the Year and Screenplay of the Year at 2014 Japan Academy Film Prize
• Selected as the third best Japanese film of 2013 by Kinema Junpo film critics poll

“Lily Franky is brilliantly cast against type as a wily, ruthless demon in human guise.” —The Japan Times

Note: This feature is soft-subtitled. Please click on the “CC” button in the lower-right corner of the player to enable English subtitles

Streaming in the U.S. from February 5-25 as part of 21st Century Japan: Films from 2001-2020

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