Black Butler (film)
| Black Butler | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | |
| Produced by | Shinzo Matsuhashi |
| Written by | Tsutomu Kuroiwa |
| Based on |
Black Butler by Yana Toboso |
| Starring | Mizushima Hiro |
| Music by | Akihisa Matsuura |
| Cinematography | Terukuni Ajisaka |
| Edited by | Tsuyoshi Imai |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release dates |
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Running time | 119 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
Black Butler (Japanese: 黒執事 Hepburn: Kuroshitsuji) is a 2014 Japanese regency style action fantasy film directed by Kentaro Otani and Keiichi Sato.[1] The film is based on the manga of the same name by Yana Toboso.[1]
Plot
The film is set in a parallel, quasi-Edwardian history in which the world contains two major powers. One is the West, ruled by the Queen. The other is the East, with no ruler specified. The Queen monitors and manipulates events worldwide with operatives known as the Queen's Watchdogs. The film's protagonist, Earl Kiyohara Genpu (known as Ciel Phantomhive in the anime series), is a Queen's Watchdog assigned to an unnamed Eastern metropolis.
The film's action begins with a large automobile careering through a docks area. In it, the man driving is rapidly dessicating, his face wrinkling, its skin crumbling. As he dies, the car crashes into debris by the roadway crossing the docks.
Nearby, a warehouse echoes with screams as dark-clad men push young women around and nail some into boxes for transport. The chief thug kneels by one young woman, who was carrying photos of desiccated bodies, questioning her. She tells him nothing.
A young man in a formal black butler's uniform appears in the warehouse. He identifies himself as a servant of the Genpu family, and flourishes a butter knife. The thugs laugh, then attack. Most are disabled or killed quickly. Only the chief thug remains conscious for questioning.
The next day, the young woman earlier questioned in the warehouse appears in the gardens of a stately manor. She is dressed as a young gentleman, and is revealed to be Earl Kiyohara Genpu, known to the world as the only son and heir of the Funtom Toy Company fortune. The earl's servants are present, including Sebastian Michaelis (the Black Butler from the previous night's battle), the clumsy maid Rin, and the silent house steward Tanaka.
The Earl drinks tea with a visitor, the Queen's personal secretary Charles B. Satou. Satou discusses the recent death of the Queen's ambassador Anthony Campelle, found overnight on the docks, mummified in his car. The unusual cause of death, and the appearance in the car of a card depicting a devil, mark it as the eighth such mysterious death. All who have died are wealthy and powerful.
The two retire to a conference room within the mansion and review evidence of the eight deaths. The series of deaths is named the Devil's Curse, and all victim's have been found to have some connection with the human smuggler who had questioned the Earl in the warehouse. No motivation for the deaths is apparent, however, nor is a root cause of the desiccating symptoms. The Queen demands a quick close to the case.
At the Eastern Ministry for State Security, Bureau of Foreign Affairs, a senior official greets the visiting policeman Tokizawa. Discussing the massacre at the warehouse, it seems that a coat button found at the scene implicates a Watchdog of the Queen in the fracas. Tokizawa is told that if a Watchdog exists, he represents a danger to the nation and should be disposed of. Tokizawa is then warned to pretend he heard nothing about the connection between the warehouse and the Watchdog, nor about the Watchdog's proposed elimination.
The Earl and the Black Butler intercept the hearse carrying Campelle's body and examine the corpse. They find clues that lead them to an underground club of the wealthy. The Earl infiltrates the club with a party invitation obtained by his aunt, accompanied by the maid Lin posing as his escort. Sneaking behind closed doors, the Earl and maid are captured and subdued by Shinpei Kujo, CEO of Epsilon Pharmaceuticals, host of the party.
Kujo talks with a hooded figure about Necrosis, a poisonous new drug the party guests will involuntarily consume in a few minutes. The guests inhale vapor from a yellow capsule and after a brief moment of euphoria begin bleeding from nose, ears, and eyes as desiccation sets in. A card depicting a devil is displayed, along with a bowl of red capsule, taking two of which will cancel the effects of the Necrosis poison. The hooded figure suddenly kills Kujo and leaves.
At the same time, the Black Butler searches a series of darkened laboratories containing ancient books on prolonging life. Unclothed and unconscious young women lie on operating tables, tubes extracting fluids from their bodies. He opens a refrigerator containing various pills and capsules, ingests some, and places others in his pocket. A booby trap explodes, destroying the side of the lab building.
The Black Butler survives and reaches the Earl and the maid Lin at the scene of the Necrosis poisoning. He releases them and they escape to the Earl's mansion. The Earl explains Necrosis and other recent investigative results to the Queen's representative, but exonerates Kujo by noting that the true leader must be the one who killed Kujo. The queen's representative warns the Earl to cause no disturbance among the elite representatives attending the upcoming public exorcism ceremony.
After a brief, pointless arrest by police, the Earl travels with his aunt to a room near the exorcism. She admits to being the hooded figure who killed Kujo, the masked figure who killed the Earl's parents, and the terrorist who will kill the gathered elite with a Necrosis bomb. The Black Butler appears, saving the Earl from his aunt's gunshots. The Black Butler defeats the aunt's butler, then tricks the aunt into succumbing to Necrosis.
On the roof of the building, the Earl guesses the combination of the briefcase bomb and disarms it. The Black Butler treats the Earl for Necrosis exposure and takes him home with the remaining Necrosis capsules. At the office of policeman Tokizawa, a box arrives with a hand-written note. In it are the remaining Necrosis capsules, a sign that the terrorist danger has been dispelled.
Cast
- Mizushima Hiro as Sebastian Michealis, the "Black Butler"
- Ayame Goriki as Earl Kiyohara Genpu (Ciel Phantomhive), the Queen's Watchdog
- Yūka as Wakatsuki Hanae, Shiori's aunt
- Mizuki Yamamoto as Rin/Lyn, the housemaid
- Tomomi Maruyama as Akashi, the house steward
- Masato Ibu as Kuzo Shinpei
- Takuro Ono as Matsumiya Takaki
- Yu Shirota as Charles Bennett Sato
Production
The film changes the setting of the original manga which was set in 19th-century London to an unnamed Eastern nation in the year 2020.[1] The film stars Mizushima Hiro as Sebastian the lead, his first starring role in three years.[2]
Release
Black Butler was released in Japan on January 18, 2014.[1] The film debuted at third place on its opening weekend in the Japanese Box office being beaten by Trick The Movie: Last Stage and The Eternal Zero.[3] The film grossed a total of $5,243,260 in Japan.[4]
Reception
Derek Elley of Film Business Asia gave the film a three out of ten rating calling it "a failure at every level", noting that the film was "stodgily directed, appallingly constructed (with an especially confusing exposition) and laden down with yards of flat dialogue. When any action does finally come, it's just so-so.".[1] The Guardian gave the film three stars out of five, noting that "Much of the dialogue and performances are stilted, but as a kitsch cult watch it has its charms."[5] The Times awarded the film three stars out of five, describing it as "compellingly weird".[6]
See also
Notes
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Elley, Derek (March 26, 2014). "Black Butler". Film Business Asia. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
- ↑ Ma, Kevin (January 22, 2014). "Eternal Zero tops 5th week at Japan B.O.". Film Business Asia. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
- ↑ "Japan Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
- ↑ "Kuro Shitsuji (Black Butler)". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
- ↑ Smith, Anna (17 October 2014). "Black Butler review – stilted revenge thriller with kitschy charms". The Guardian. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
- ↑ Muir, Kate (October 17, 2014). "Black Butler". The Times. Retrieved October 27, 2014. (subscription required (help)).
External links
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