"KAMI? GOD? NO... KAME. AS IN TURTLES?": 'A MAN FROM RENO' REVIEW​

Not being content will get you killed. I know it sounds like a harsh statement and it may be a blanket statement; nonetheless for characters within the world of the Dave Boyle indie, Crime Noir, Man from Reno, this statement is an absolute. Unfortunately also for the inhabitants of that world, contentment is not their forte'.

Philippians 4:11-13

"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength."

This film follows a "crime writer, a crime fighter, and a crime that will bring them all together", this is after all, what the supertitles read in the trailer and it does deliver on this promise for the most part. The film opens with a thick fog, a fog so thick I think to myself, the character known as "Sheriff Del Moral"(Pepe Serna) must be a complete idiot for driving in something so dangerous; it is a marshmallow-like fog that could only be concocted via the likes of Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. Furthermore, the Sheriff proves me right as he hits a man not soon after, but not before happening upon abandoned car on the road with its trunk and doors open, as well as its lights on, with no one inside or in sight. I have to say this film looks beautiful, but the cinematographer is by no means risky with the most challenging cinematic efforts being a number of various tracking shots throughout the film.

Plot holes appear early on in the film and as we get to know the heroin of the story, Aki Akahori played well by Japanese actress Ayako Fujitani, we want to feel a sense of desperation for her that doesn't fully materialize. Aki Akahori is an accomplished crime novelist with the gift of turning out her ongoing series of handwritten detective novels at record speed seemingly without an edit. Did I mention that the novels are hand written? Although as a side bar, this may not be as much of a stretch as Ayako, who in reality is an accomplished novelist in her own right, playing the lead role in her own adaption, a Studio Ghibli's film titled Shiki-Jitsu.

"And the LORD answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it." - Habakkuk 2:2

Aki tells a friend after giving him a copy of her novel, "Take your time. It's my last one." Aki has a vision, something she wants to do & plans to do, and it doesn't involve handwritten novels. That is, until the man from Reno steps in and totally turns her life upside down in less than 24 hours. Once their relationship kindles, Aki's desire to write and make her vision plain resurfaces. And although this needed action opens a major plot hole within Man from Reno, it also drives the story, turning into a slow-paced nail biter-- for better or for worse.

Oh, and the turtles... Let's not forget the turtles. In what I would describe as a integral comedic relief scene, Aki and a longtime friend try to decipher a possible clue, "KAMI?" Aki states. GOD? "NO... KAME. AS IN TURTLES?" her friend replies. He goes on, "Americans always mispronounce. Sake. Saki. Karaoke. Karioki.", I laughed out loud. So in short these turtles are not youth in revolt, named after famous painters, or mutated from a lab experiment gone wrong, taking refuge in the sewers to be raised by a Ninjitsu fighting rat. But still weird and central to the plot, giving a unique twist to this steady Encyclopedia Brown, Dashiell Hammett, mystery novel --addiction influenced, and polished directorial effort.

After breaking open the case with a huge clue. Aki asks Sheriff Del Moral, "Tell me how it ends?", it is almost as if she is referencing the story within the story. Sheriff Del Moral gives no answer, and neither will I. You have to find out for yourself, and I say, if you are the Nancy Drew Mystery loving type, give it a go.

A Man from Reno is palying at Laemmle Playhouse Pasadena for a limited time, in theaters March 27, 2015

Above is Sheriff Del Moral (Pepe Serna) and Aki Akahori(Ayako Fujitani) meeting for the first time

Watch the trailer to Man from Reno below.