"With great power comes great responsibility." You’ve probably heard this phrase bandied about a couple of times, for it's the cornerstone to about 90% of all comic books ever made. But instead of powers of flight or super-strength, what if the ability to instantly take a life was on the line? That's the situation faced by the young protagonist in the Japanese thriller Death Note. Aiming to freak out viewers while also making them think, this film brings a number of philosophical overtones to the table, ones you’re not likely to find in the average horror movie. I can’t say Death Note always uses these elements to their full advantage, but at least it puts forth a decent effort to give viewers the heebie-jeebies on a different sort of level.

Tatsuya Fujiwara plays Light Yagami, a budding law student growing sick and tired of how much evil is allowed to exist in the world. On one fateful night, Light comes into possession of the Death Note, a special notebook belonging to death god Ryuk (voice of Shido Nakamura). A list of rules explains that if the name of a specific person is written in the book, that person will die shortly thereafter. Sure enough, Light’s act of jotting down the name of a scumbag results in said creep’s swift demise. But after a month of using the Death Note, Light’s newfound powers have gone to his head in a big way, with the all-too coincidental mass deaths of criminals all across the country raising the ire of the authorities. Light soon finds himself being pursued by L (Ken'ichi Matsuyama), an eccentric detective determined to track him down, which forces Light to decide whether to give up the Death Note or use it against those trying to put an end to his rampage.

Although Death Note isn't a bad movie, director Shusuke Kaneko passes on many opportunities to make a better picture. The idea behind Death Note is a real corker, but a clever premise can only a carry a film for so long if left to its own devices. The one thing I take issue with here involves the absence of true conflict. The film goes out of its way to highlight the importance of choice in the story, promising to hinge the crux of the plot on whether or not Light will be fully corrupted by the Death Note. The problem? Light appears on the way to corruption from frame one, and it doesn't help when he starts killing anyone who comes close to stopping his murderous activities. Where's the scene showing Light wrestling with himself and contemplating the consequences of his actions? Probably on the cutting room floor, if one ever existed. Also, the film's visual scheme seems a little flat, with Kaneko opting for a fairly traditional set-up of atmosphere and cinematography for a story that's begging to be told with oodles of dark style.

It's curious how restrained the violence is in Death Note, a story ripe with the potential for all sorts of gonzo death scenes. There are a few moments when Light uses the Death Note to manipulate the time and nature of certain deaths, but aside from a cool scene or two, it ends up feeling like a contrived twist the plot whips out whenever it pleases. Yet while all of these aspects are definitely disappointing, Death Note doesn't completely sink because of them. The film gets a lot of mileage from its great story, which provides viewers with the thought-provoking question of whether Light is right to rid Japan of its criminal ilk or allow the justice system to do its work. Fujiwara does well despite being shafted by his material, Matsuyama is great as the oddball L, and I sort of like how Ryuk is presented; he's not meant to be the creation of cutting-edge CG effects but rather inspired by the manga style the character was born in.

Death Note includes its share of scuffs and sporadically creaking plotting, but I still recommend it to anyone bored by America's recent crop of horror movies. While not perfect, this Japanese horror film finds a rather interesting way of expressing what's on its mind. 

MY RATING: ** 1/2 (out of ****)

(Released by Viz Pictures; not rateed by MPAA.)

Review also posted at: www.passportcinema.com .