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Pulse

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Pulse (2005)

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Reviews Counted: 48

Fresh: 35

Rotten:13

Average Rating: 6.9/10

Consensus: A sinister spine-tingling techno-thriller whose artistry lies in the power of suggestion rather than a barrage of blood and guts or horror shop special effects.

Rated: Not Rated

Runtime: 1 hr 58 mins

Genre: Foreign Films

Theatrical Release:Nov 9, 2005 Limited

Synopsis: "Would you like to meet a ghost?" This foreboding question is posed to a young man by his own computer, suddenly able to dial up to the Internet--by itself. Unfortunately for the characters in... "Would you like to meet a ghost?" This foreboding question is posed to a young man by his own computer, suddenly able to dial up to the Internet--by itself. Unfortunately for the characters in Kiyoshi Kurosawa's PULSE, inquisitive PCs are the least of their problems. What begins as the seemingly isolated suicide of a computer hacker in Tokyo leads to a series of mysterious disappearances and deaths in this bone-chilling thriller. As Michi (Kumiko Aso), a young woman working on a rooftop plant nursery, attempts to find out what happened to her deceased friend, a slacker named Kawashima (Haruhiko Katô) reports his computer's unusual behavior to Harue (Koyuki), an attractive tech specialist. Separately, they witness an unraveling horror which manifests itself in haunting digital images, coal-black stains, doors sealed with red tape, and lingering apparitions--all leading to a steady decrease in Tokyo's population. Like RING, another prime example of Japanese horror, Kurosawa's PULSE manages to take a B-movie plot and elevate to a level of both terror and artistry that's rarely, if ever, seen in the West. Rather than relying on gore and special effects, the film uses expert cinematography (courtesy of Junichirô Hayashi, also the cameraman on RING and Kurosawa's CHARISMA), bleak backdrops, creepy music, and the good ol' power of suggestion to create what eventually becomes an existential nightmare. To call PULSE "scary" would be a grave understatement; most viewers will never look at a roll of red tape the same way again. [More]

Starring: Haruhiko Katô, Kumiko Aso, Shinji Takeda, Koji Yakusho

Starring: Haruhiko Katô, Kumiko Aso, Shinji Takeda, Koji Yakusho, Jun Fubuki

Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Screenwriter: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Studio: Magnolia Pictures

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Release:

Feb 21, 2006

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Pulse

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
04/29/09
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
03/26/09
Derek Elley
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A wonderful slow boil apocalyptic thriller that outshines the remake

comment Comment
11/29/07
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed

in the labyrinthine fabric of Pulse, different characters must all, one by one, confront their own isolation, insignificance and deepest, darkest despair.

Full Review Source: Eye for Film | comment Comment
08/03/07
Anton Bitel
Eye for Film
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
06/30/07
Michael Wilmington
Chicago Tribune
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
09/23/06
Andrew Pulver
Guardian [UK]
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
09/23/06
Boxoffice Magazine

Some find it pulse-pounding, while others might be so bored they will have to check to make sure they still have a pulse by the time it's all over.

Full Review Source: Horror.com | comment Comment
03/03/06
Staci Layne Wilson
Horror.com

Where the average Japanese horror flick is petulant and nasty, Pulse is dolorous, shivery, and surreal.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
02/24/06
Wesley Morris
Boston Globe
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

(The remake) looks like it will hit the right notes, especially for American horror fans. But I don't think it will hear the mournful music of the original.

Full Review Source: Capital Times (Madison, WI) | comment Comment
02/17/06
Rob Thomas
Capital Times (Madison, WI)
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Time Out
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
02/07/06
BBC

Pulse's craft as a dread-fest is superb.

Full Review Source: Window to the Movies | comment Comment
12/23/05
Jeffrey Chen
Window to the Movies

Even the technology, employed to aesthetic end, creates less a sense of visual poetics than of out-of-date-ness.

Full Review Source: culturevulture.net | comment Comment
12/21/05
Les Wright
culturevulture.net

It's an apocalyptic ghost story with some eerie images and a surprising turn toward the end, but it bogs down considerably between the good scenes.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
12/16/05
Walter V. Addiego
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Pulse is emptied and perplexing at trying length.

Full Review Source: San Diego Union-Tribune | comment Comment
12/16/05
David Elliott
San Diego Union-Tribune

Kurosawa... scares the bejeezus out of us.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
12/15/05
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

It's not about blood, gore and oozing innards but unsettling creepiness that gets under a moviegoer's skin and makes the hairs stand up on the back of your neck.

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
12/15/05
Bob Longino
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The second half of Pulse, in which it becomes clear that the entire planet is being rather swiftly depopulated, is worth the build-up.

Full Review Source: New Times | comment Comment
12/15/05
Luke Y. Thompson
New Times

...genuinely creepy in a slow and steady way.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles CityBeat | comment Comment
12/15/05
Andy Klein
Los Angeles CityBeat
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Latest News for Pulse

August 09, 2006: Critical Consensus: A Brave New "World," A "Step" Down, And No Screenings for "Pulse" and "Zoom"
This week at the movies, we've got Oliver Stone paying tribute to the heroes of 9/11 ("World Trade Center," starring Nicolas Cage); two youngsters trying to start a... More...

May 25, 2006: Trailer Bulletin: Pulse
The Japanese version was called "Kairo." The long-delayed American remake is called "Pulse," and the all-new theatrical trailer can be viewed right here. More...

April 06, 2006: A Pair of "Grudge 2" Set Visits
IGN FilmForce and JoBlo's have chimed in with their set reports from Sony's upcoming Grudge sequel, and the movie geeks report from Japan that the sequel is coming along... More...

November 30, 2005: Trailer Bulletin: Pulse
Anyone out there ready for yet another Japan-to-America horror remake? Then sit back and get comfortable for the "Pulse" trailer, which you can see right here. More...

See More Topics...

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