Suicidal Crime Writer Unwittingly Involved in a Gripping Murder Case
Although Aki Akahori, played by Ayako Fujitani, is a successful and prominent Japanese mystery writer, she is unhappy. So unhappy, in fact that she contemplates suicide.
To stave off the loneliness she feels, Aki flies from Tokyo to San Francisco, where she meets a mysterious Japanese hunk, Akira Suzuki, visiting the Bay City from Reno, Nevada. Their first meeting turns into a one night stand of no-strings attached sex.
The next morning, the hunk vanishes into thin air without saying goodbye, leaving behind a suitcase full of clues.
Meanwhile, in nearby San Marco, Sheriff Moral, played by Pepe Serna and his deputized daughter, played by Elisha Skorman, find a dead body, identified as Akira Suzuki. That is the name of Aki’s one-nigh-stand stud.
The police are not the only ones interested in Akio Suzuki. Some unsavory characters become suspicious of the seemingly innocent crime writer. Just like the police, these hoods also want to check out the recently-deceased man’s belongings.
Finding herself inside a real-life whodunit, Aki forgets about suicide.
This is the premise for Man from Reno, a cleverly-scripted neo-noir directed by Dave Boyle, known previously for White on Rice.
Man from Reno is an inscrutable adventure, with numerous twists and turns. It is a pure delight to unravel from beginning to end.
Man from Reno is an utterly absorbing, inspired homage to the Golden Age of Pulp Fiction.
Man From Reno
Excellent (4 stars)
Unrated
In English and Japanese with subtitles
Running time: 111 minutes
Distributor: Eleven Arts
Watch the Man from Reno trailer:
