Movie Review Once Upon a Crime (2023)

 

Once Upon a Crime (Original Title: Akazukin, tabi no tochû de shitai to deau) | 2023 | 1h 47m
Genre: Fairy Tale/Adventure/Comedy/Crime/Fantasy/Mystery | Country: Japan
Director: Yûichi Fukuda | Writers: Aito Aoyagi, Yûichi Fukuda, Tetsurô Kamata
Cast: Kanna Hashimoto, Yûko Araki, Takanori Iwata
IMDB: 5.3
My Rate: 10/10

Red Riding Hood tries to help Cinderella attend the royal ball, but instead, she gets caught up in a murder mystery that sends everyone into a frenzy. They must solve the case before midnight.

Warnings:

Contains violence and sensual scenes.

 

Synopsis:

Red Riding Hood (Kanna Hashimoto) is on her way to the city. Her journey is not easy, as she has to cross a vast forest. She accidentally encounters an old witch, Barbara (Midoriko Kimura).

Barbara believes Red Riding Hood's clothes and shoes don't match the fashion style of their kingdom. The kingdom highly values beauty and forbids "ugly" people from entering. Barbara tries to change Red Riding Hood's shoes.

Barbara fails in her magic and covers Red Riding Hood's shoes with mud. Red Riding Hood loses her shoes while trying to wash them in the river. The shoes end up in Cinderella's hands.

Red Riding Hood meets Cinderella and plans to go to the royal ball with her. With Barbara's help, they have beautiful dresses. Telka (Mirei Kiritani), a beautiful witch, helps them get beautiful glass slippers. They go to the ball together with their mouse and carriage.

On the way, their carriage hits someone who turns out to be the royal stylist. The stylist is dead, but Red Riding Hood is convinced that his death wasn't due to the collision. They hide the body with leaves and continue their journey.

The body is eventually found, ruining the ongoing ball. An investigation begins, including all the guests. The investigation points to Cinderella's older sister and the Prince. Red Riding Hood tries to solve the mystery before midnight.

Will Red Riding Hood be able to catch the real killer?

 
Review:

Once Upon a Crime has a creative and interesting idea. It takes well-known fairy tales about Cinderella and Red Riding Hood and presents them in a different form. This will surely cause controversy among viewers, especially those who watch this film with the perspective of the original stories. Because we will find a slightly different story.

The main character in this story is Red Riding Hood. Instead of presenting a story where Red Riding Hood is eaten by a wolf, this film brings Red Riding Hood together with Cinderella. A pretty interesting combination. The plot also takes from Cinderella's story with some additional stories and interesting twists.

The combination of these stories creates a new and thrilling story. The additional stories blend well with the original plot. Although some viewers feel a little sorry for Cinderella, who is portrayed differently.

Several scenes in the story are presented with a lot of mystery. However, we can still enjoy a little romance in it. Plus, the characters and scenes are quite entertaining. The plot is hard to predict.

The acting of the cast is very good and not stiff, both the main and supporting actors. Overall, this film is presented with a great presentation. Suitable for those who love light mystery films.

 

Memorable Scene:

Red Riding Hood and Cinderella try to cover the body they found with leaves. Red Riding Hood shows a funny expression in this scene. Although the victim's death wasn't their fault, Red Riding Hood still feels the adrenaline rush when hiding the body.

 
Memorable Dialogue:

"People in this kingdom only try to see what is beautiful."

 

Ending:

Shocking Ending

 

Recommendation:

Must Watch

 

(Aluna)