Living on-off with his girlfriend Akiko (Kotone Furukawa), his business starts flourishing, and he soon moves into a remote warehouse, one that looks particularly creepy at night as events begin to escalate.
The boyish-looking Yoshii is entirely amoral when it comes to his business, unconcerned if a stash of handbags he peddles are genuine designer or not. “Being real or fake doesn’t matter,” shrugs Sano (Daiken Okudaira), the young lad he employs. But of course this behaviour can only get you so far.
Yoshii’s greedy actions cause anger among those he’s crossed; before long a mob comes after him as Kurosawa lets this simmering tale boil over. Suddenly, we are in action terrain, with gunplay, shoot-outs and cornball dialogue with lines like “winning streaks don’t last forever”.
There are nods to yakuza movies and the finale even has a western feel – sunsets included – as characters are gunned down with an abandon that feels straight out of a video game. While it may entertain those looking for some visceral cheap thrills, it is not particularly satisfying.
It is more interesting when Kurosawa turns his lens on the web-savvy generation, and the way people hide behind the anonymity of the internet, whether it is selling dodgy goods or trolling others.
The director paints a convincing picture of a world where traders operate in shadowy corners of the digital realm, perhaps the modern-day equivalent of the black markets that sprang up during World War II. Humans, it seems, will always look to exploit and make a quick buck.
Boasting some appealing performances, especially the butter-wouldn’t-melt turn from Furukawa as the love interest, Cloud never quite pushes towards anything that will linger long in the memory.
It is moody-looking, with the action taking place in industrial locations. But after a promising start, with some creepy past-midnight visuals as the atmosphere bubbles away, Kurosawa doesn’t conjure enough thrills to keep you hooked.
Like Yoshii’s online antics, it all rather feels done on the cheap.