Doppelganger, a film by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, stars Koji Yakusho as Michio Hayasaki. Hayasaki is a brilliant, but very quiet and passive, scientist who’s working on a wheelchair with mechanical arms which will aid quadriplegics. The project is behind schedule and under-funded making creating a very stressful situation for Hayasaki. This all leads to Hayasaki being confronted by his doppelganger. At first, he avoids him, but when his other self is in his apartment Hayasaki is forced to speak with him. The double knows all about Hayasaki’s life and states that he wants to help him with his project.
It’s very difficult to come up with a good idea for a movie. Yet, it’s ever more difficult to imagine a satisfying ending for a film. Doppelganger is a great example of this. The first hour of the movie is intriguing, albeit a bit slow in its pacing though. In the film, Hayasaki meets a woman named Yuka, played by Hiromi Nagasaku, who tells him the story about her brother meeting his doppelganger and his eventual death. She tells Hayasaki that those who see their doppelganger will soon die, this adds to the suspense in the film but sadly it goes nowhere.
Unfortunately you’ll notice that Doppelganger is nothing special an hour or so into the film, but unfortunately it gets even worse. The movie switches gears and most of the plot and all of the questions that the audience had get thrown out the window. What had been a psychological thriller, now becomes more of a heist movie. Doppelganger has the feel of a movie that was born without an ending, so the makers decided to simply change everything. After a slow start to the film the movie ends in a flurry, but fails to keep you entertained. Doppelganger is a hugely disappointing film that only your doppelganger could enjoy.