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Cure
Metascore
70 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 13 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
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  1. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Kim Morgan
    83
    Takes the typical detective-hunting-a-serial-killer story and twists it into a creepy, enigmatic bit of psychological terror that by its final ambiguous scene leaves you truly chilled.
  2. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: J. Hoberman
    80
    Cure has a generic resemblance to "Seven," but it's far more oblique, and that much more troubling.
  3. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kenneth Turan
    80
    With its gift for infusing uneasiness into every frame, Kurosawa's moody, unnerving film continues to spook us even after the lights have gone on.
  4. Slate
    Reviewed by: David Edelstein
    80
    Transcends its murkiness and eats into the mind. Cure is what ails you.
  5. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: John Petrakis
    75
    What is most impressive about Kurosawa's direction is how he uses the entire frame, complete with expository background action, to fill in the story blanks. His eagerness to suggest, rather than declare, marks him as a director with confidence to spare.
  6. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: David Sterritt
    75
    Contains quite a few grisly and ghastly images.
  7. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Ken Fox
    70
    The result is somewhat confounding, but utterly spellbinding.
  8. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Dana Stevens
    70
    The final scene is a piece of cunning visual wit that makes you realize how artful and sneaky Cure, has been beneath its clinical, deadpan surface.
  9. New Times (L.A.)
    Reviewed by: Andy Klein
    70
    The movie is not always satisfying as a standard thriller, nor is it always clear; but it's never dull, either, and it displays a sensibility so weird as to be its own recommendation.
  10. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: William Arnold
    67
    Clearly, this film is less than a suspense masterpiece. Its violence is often gratuitous.
  11. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Elizabeth Weitzman
    63
    Kurosawa may be considered the genius, but his movie would go nowhere without its extraordinary leading man.
  12. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Manohla Dargis
    60
    Less outright terrifying than under-the-skin shivery, this psychological thriller from sui generis Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa breaks nearly all the rules -- including those of narrative logic.
  13. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Bob Graham
    50
    It's more psychological than a genre movie, and that is the source of both its greatest interest and its biggest problem.
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User Reviews

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User Score
7.8 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 6 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. BobN
    10
    People tend to the extreme in the usage of political word-bombs: "You're a facist! Hitler!" In art, people tend to proclaim: "Masterpiece! Brilliant!" with no basis as well. I saw this film in 2001, and eight years later, after having seen it multiple times, I can subjectively claim this film is great. Truly great. It breaks genre molds and waxes philosophically. It is hauntingly creepy. It becomes mystical and spiritual, approaching reason through the primitive door of intuition and emotion. This is not Seven, or Zodiac, both of which are fantastic. This is something more. This is, to put it bluntly, one of the best films made. When you watch this, do not be afraid if it gets underneath your skin. You have simply been infected by Kiyoshi Kurosawa. The cure is to hunt down his other fantastic films and experience them as well.… Full Review »
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