Overview
A gripping legal drama that questions the nature of truth and justice in a flawed system.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- austere
- tense
- cerebral
- quiet evening
- serious film night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film’s thoughtfulness, precision, performances, and weighty themes while finding it somewhat less powerful than Kore-eda’s finest work.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Shigemori repeatedly reassesses Misumi's confession and the murder narrative as competing explanations emerge.
The defense process and possible death penalty place responsibility for life-or-death decisions on lawyers and the justice system.
Glass, windows, and carefully controlled framing recur in interrogations and encounters, reinforcing divided perspectives.
Misumi admits to the charge, but Shigemori's investigation reveals that the confession does not settle motive or truth.
Films like The Third Murder, and why
Anatomy of a Murder
Japanese legal mystery examining truth, guilt, and institutional justice through an intellectually unsettled investigation
The Verdict
Measured courtroom drama where competing narratives complicate moral and legal certainty
Rashomon
Psychological crime mystery focused on confession, suspicion, and the unstable relationship between truth and justice
Prisoners
Tense, morally ambiguous procedural centered on a murder investigation and the limits of official justice
Movie Details
- Director
- Hirokazu Kore-eda
- Release Date
- 2017-09-09
- Runtime
- 125 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (311)
Cast
- Masaharu Fukuyama
- Koji Yakusho
- Suzu Hirose
- Shinnosuke Mitsushima
- Mikako Ichikawa
- Izumi Matsuoka
- Aju Makita
- Tōru Shinagawa
- Toshie Negishi
- Tsutomu Takahashi
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Film Movement Plus, Film Movement Plus Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Third Murder about?
- A defense lawyer reopens an apparently settled murder confession and finds truth, guilt, and justice drifting beyond the courtroom’s control.
- What is The Third Murder like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Third Murder as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Third Murder violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Third Murder as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Third Murder?
- Critics broadly praised the film’s thoughtfulness, precision, performances, and weighty themes while finding it somewhat less powerful than Kore-eda’s finest work.
- Which films are like The Third Murder?
- Films with a similar feel include Anatomy of a Murder, The Verdict, Rashomon, and Prisoners.
- How long is The Third Murder?
- The Third Murder runs 125 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Third Murder?
- In United States, The Third Murder streams on Film Movement Plus, Film Movement Plus Amazon Channel.
