Liar Game is one twisty ride that often asks its own questions and answers them for the audience.Based on the widely-popular anime and TV series, this ‘final stage’ plays just like one of its extended episodes. Nao Kanzaki (Erika Toda) is a naive college student who lands herself in the Liar Game Tournament, where 10 other participants make use of deception to cheat each other of large sums of money.
The game is simple but the rules are complicated. Players cast their votes Survivor-style using either a Gold, Silver or Red apple, with varying combinations resulting in different outcomes. The winner will be the one who earns the most money, while the loser will find himself incurring the actual amount of debt s/he incurs in the game.Sounds confusing? Don’t worry. The director’s diagram-style technique explains the details quite clearly, although the pace is fast, and if one slacks in focus, one is easily lost.
The mind games ala Death Note’s multi-perception storyline will thrill audiences who don’t mind putting themselves through a mental maze. After awhile, you start to doubt every single character, while not letting down your guard because you want the riddles answered yourself.
For the casual audience who happen to stumble upon this movie, do not be surprised if you’re put off by the often exaggerated acting by the myriad of colourful characters. Such hysterics sometimes grate at the viewer, and I found myself rolling my eyes at how implausible the some of the situations can get.But as a battle-of-wits duel with a few plot twists thrown in for good measure, Liar Game succeeds as a mildly intriguing ride where it touches on themes like human greed and compassion.
