The Third Murder

The Third Murder centres on Tomoaki Shigemori, a defence lawyer assigned to represent Takashi Misumi, a man accused of robbery and murder. Misumi has already served prison time for a killing committed three decades earlier, and now faces the death penalty if convicted. He has confessed, which leaves Shigemori little room to manoeuvre in court. As the lawyer examines the case, listens to testimony and speaks with those involved, including the victim's family, inconsistencies emerge and he begins to question whether his client is actually responsible.

Hirokazu Kore-eda directed and wrote the film, his ninth feature in chronological order, following After the Storm in 2016 and preceding Shoplifters in 2018. Masaharu Fukuyama plays Shigemori, with Koji Yakusho as Misumi, Suzu Hirose as Sakie Yamanaka, Shinnosuke Mitsushima, Mikako Ichikawa and Izumi Matsuoka in supporting roles. The film is a Japanese production from Fuji Television Network, AMUSE, BUN-BUKU and GAGA Corporation, running 125 minutes.

On IMDb it holds 6.7 out of 10 from around 8,900 votes, and on TMDB 6.6 out of 10 from roughly 307 votes, indicating a moderate audience response. A critics' rating of 7.1 out of 10 from 83 reviews places it somewhat higher than those viewer scores.