"Emergency Interrogation Room THE FINAL" The biggest incident to date [Enokido Ichiro's Movie A-Ka-S-Tana Vol.94]

This is the final movie version of the popular "Kintori" series. This popular police drama, which has been running on TV Asahi for five seasons since 2014, is coming to an end here. It is made to be enjoyable not only for fans who have watched it on TV, but also for those who are experiencing "Kintori" for the first time through the movie version. I'm not a particularly avid drama watcher, but throughout the approximately two-hour running time, I was immersed in the world of "Kintori." It felt like the ending came around in the blink of an eye.

Since the series has been going on for over 10 years, it really feels like the cast is living the story. Amami Yuki has lived the life of Makabe Yukiko for over a decade, Tanaka Tetsushi has played Kajiyama Katsutoshi, and Tsukaji Muga has played Tamagaki Matsuo. They have mastered the roles. Their chemistry is perfectly in sync. That's true for the actors, but it also feels natural to the viewers. For the audience, Amami Yuki has lived Makabe Yukiko for five seasons. I think there are things that take time to develop. That's why every role in "Emergency Interrogation Room THE FINAL" feels like a "perfect fit" or a "perfect fit." It feels like each role had to be played by this person, and I think there should be a "Kintori" support screening, like the "masala screenings" of Indian films. Makabe Yukiko's catchphrase, "This is getting interesting, isn't it?", is here! (ﾟ∀ﾟ)-!! I'm sure everyone will want to join in on the line "No, no, no, no..." sung by Deputy Superintendent Iwaki Kazuhisa (Okura Koji).

The Emergency Interrogation Room in the play is a fictional, high-tech police interrogation room. While suspects are given the official excuse of "visualizing interrogations," their statements are filmed and analyzed by a special team, the Metropolitan Police Department's First Investigative Division's Emergency Response Interrogation Team (commonly known as Kintori), to help uncover the truth. Kintori's members are all unique individuals, each with their own special technique for "convincing" them. The protagonist, Yukiko Makabe, is a "negotiator who causes problems with her somewhat forceful methods." She's headstrong and headstrong, and with her addition, Kintori's main engine is firing on all cylinders. They charge ahead, unflinchingly, no matter how challenging the challenge.

"Emergency Interrogation Room THE FINAL" ©2025 "Emergency Interrogation Room THE FINAL" Movie Production Committee

However, the case in "Emergency Interrogation Room THE FINAL" is the most challenging yet. It's prominently featured in the trailer, so I won't spoil it here. The "Prime Minister" is a "Key Witness." Apparently, they're going to interrogate the Prime Minister. Is that even possible? The first thing that comes to mind is something like the "immunity from arrest for Diet members." While Diet members are in office, it's already extremely difficult for the police to intervene (political motives are suspected). And what's more, this isn't just a Diet member, it's the Prime Minister. This is beyond delicate. Voluntary cooperation with the investigation would be easily rejected, and if things go wrong, the head of the police force could be fired. Even if they're a rogue group, could the "Kintori," an entity within the organization, be able to take down the Prime Minister of a country?

Since it's a story set in an interrogation room, it can't feature flashy action scenes. It's essentially a dialogue drama. The heated exchanges between the "Kintori" team and the suspect. This might be possible on the scale of a TV drama, but to hold up on the big screen, it requires theatrical power. The sense of tempo and changes in pace need to be well-constructed to work. That's why "Emergency Interrogation Room THE FINAL" is a film about acting. I think it must have been fun for both the actors and the director. Even though it was a TV drama for four seasons, turning it into a movie must have been something special.

Speaking of behind-the-scenes stories, this film was put on hold due to a scandal involving one of the main cast members. It should have been released a long time ago. I hear a lot of reshoots were necessary. At the release countdown event on December 22nd, Amami Yuki said, "It wasn't an easy road, but everyone can finally see it." I think that's the kind of line a "leader" would say, carrying the weight of such a big entertainment production on his shoulders. Of course, it's not just the scandal, but I think it also includes the passing of Osugi Ren, a valuable member of the "Kintori" team.

The trend of turning "special episodes" and "finals" of popular TV dramas into films has become established as a trend in Japanese films. There are also approaches like " The Last Mile " (24) where the main story and the world of the drama are connected. This film is billed as the "final," but I think it would be a shame to end it there. I think there are still many possibilities, such as depicting an incident from the perspective of the culprit and having the story connect to "Kintori" at the end.

Text: Ichiro Enoki

Born in 1959. Born in Akita Prefecture. Debuted in a commercial magazine with ``Takarajima'' in 1980 while studying at Chuo University. Since then, he has serialized columns and essays in various magazines, and continues to this day. Also active on radio and television. Twitter @ichiroenokido

Pre-order "Emergency Interrogation Room THE FINAL" now ↓

"Emergency Interrogation Room THE FINAL"

Now available nationwide

Distribution: Toho

©2025 Theatrical version “Emergency Interrogation Room THE FINAL” Production Committee