Round About Midnight

Makoto Wada's 1999 Japanese film follows Koji, a jazz musician playing a club. Stepping outside between sets, he witnesses a killing. The killers are after the woman they were chasing and now after Koji too. The film ties its tension to the clock; Koji has to be back on stage by midnight, and the narrative uses that as a countdown. Hiroyuki Sanada leads. The director was also a well-known illustrator, and the look of the film recalls jazz album covers. The music runs inside the narrative. Who it's for: those who like Japanese crime films and jazz atmosphere. Who it's not for: viewers expecting an intricate mystery; the film is kept light.