Wana

Amongst all of the films within the Maiku Hama trilogy, The Trap proves to be the most unusual and dense among the three. Just when Hama looks like he's pulled his life together, a case as strange and dark as this adds a new twist to the series.

Unlike the other two movies, Hama isn't portrayed as the off-kilter private eye with a temper problem, but he is more or less the cool and savvy detective that is being framed for a crime he did not commit. While the typical frame-up plot line is followed rather closely, the eeriness of some of the supporting characters is what makes this film work on many more levels than its predecessors. The Trap is a strong way to finish the series, leaving a rather open-ended finish while still mixing in some of the trademark humor that dotted the series. Hopefully, we'll get to see the movies in a three-disk set. That would certainly make a nice gift for anyone that appreciates a good detective film.