The story in “Death Note” centers around questions of ethics, control and what draws a person to satisfying absolute power. Young Light Turner discovers a notebook with magical powers that can kill anyone he writes down in it. This discovery starts him onto a dangerous path of his using the weapon to wipe out criminals, bringing deep questions about justice and power’s corrupting power of unearned power. The film gets viewers to realize that good intentions can turn bad when someone uses them without considering the consequences.
The most remarkable were the overwhelming moral ambiguity as well as psychological struggle between Light and the secret detective, L. It is a fascinating game with many thrills, as the show explores justice, personal identity and the issues that influence them all. The mood of the film is gloomy and lugubrious, just right for the story whose characters have crucial choices and where their decisions have enormous significance. Light’s effective transition from a brilliant, optimistic student to a compromised, vigilant character is captured without fanfare giving his fall tragic, yet irresistible.
Veering from an ugly yellow, which makes up the colors of the classroom and hospital, the film takes on a sleeker, more modern appearance that matches its suspenseful nature. The score also softly thickens the atmosphere. The action is fast, with suspense as well as slower reflective quiet moments. Though the film may differ from the original manga and anime in its approach to certain subjects, it still manages to create a haunting atmosphere. All in all, Death Note captures our attention by making us suspicious and unsettled, reflecting on the ability of power to confuse what is good and what is bad.
