Overview
A battle of wits unfolds as a young man wields a deadly notebook to reshape the world.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- dark
- cerebral
- paranoid
- late night thriller viewing
- mystery movie marathon
What critics said
Critics generally found the adaptation an engaging and inventive supernatural detective thriller, though its compact execution was less consistently acclaimed than its premise.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The Death Note is the central plot-driving object, enabling Light Yagami to kill remotely and shaping the investigation.
Light frames the systematic killing of criminals as the creation of a utopian world.
Light and L conduct an escalating battle of deduction, concealment, and counterstrategy.
The Tokyo setting, police investigation, hidden identities, and death-by-notebook premise combine procedural elements with dark supernatural atmosphere.
Films like Death Note, and why
Se7en
supernatural crime premise, moral ambiguity, and an escalating battle of intellect between a self-appointed judge and investigators
The Silence of the Lambs
cat-and-mouse detective thriller centered on deductive reasoning, hidden identities, and psychological manipulation
Fallen
stylized supernatural thriller about power, temptation, and the consequences of imposing personal justice
The Usual Suspects
high-concept crime mystery driven by strategic deception, competing masterminds, and an ethically ambiguous protagonist
Movie Details
- Director
- Shusuke Kaneko
- Release Date
- 2006-06-17
- Runtime
- 126 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (833)
Cast
- Tatsuya Fujiwara
- Kenichi Matsuyama
- Asaka Seto
- Shigeki Hosokawa
- Erika Toda
- Shunji Fujimura
- Takeshi Kaga
- Yuu Kashii
- Shido Nakamura
- Sota Aoyama
Common questions
- What is Death Note about?
- A brilliant student turns a supernatural killing notebook into an instrument of utopian justice, provoking a deadly battle of wits with the detective determined to expose him.
- What is Death Note like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Death Note as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Death Note violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Death Note as mild.
- What did critics think of Death Note?
- Critics generally found the adaptation an engaging and inventive supernatural detective thriller, though its compact execution was less consistently acclaimed than its premise.
- Which films are like Death Note?
- Films with a similar feel include Se7en, The Silence of the Lambs, Fallen, and The Usual Suspects.
- How long is Death Note?
- Death Note runs 126 minutes.
