English jurist William Blackstone’s maxim, ‘It is better for 10 guilty men to go free than for one innocent man to be condemned’, forebodingly appears in the opening of the Japanese film I Just Didn’t Do It, a gripping legal drama directed by Masayuki Suo examining faults in the Japanese legal system.
The film starts with naïve 26-year-old Teppei Kaneko (Ryo Kase) catching his suit jacket in the door while boarding an extremely crowded train. Much to the chagrin of the surrounding passengers, he tries to wriggle it free to no avail. As he gets off at the next stop, a young schoolgirl grabs his sleeve and accuses him of groping her. He is whisked off to a holding facility where police officers tell him that if he admits his guilt, he’ll be let off with a fine and that the proceedings will be “easier than a parking ticket”. However, Teppei finds it inconceivable that he should admit to something he is not guilty of and insists on bringing the case to trial, despite his lawyer’s repeated warnings of the 99.9% conviction rate in Japanese courts.
Ryo Kase pulls off a heartfelt and sincere performance as the ingenuous and innocent Teppei dragged kicking and screaming into an accusation that will change his life. This cannot be said for Masako Motai, who plays Teppei’s mother; when not crying, she appears slightly bored at what is happening in court. Asaka Seto plays the defiance of one of Teppei’s lawyers well, but in the end Kase steals her limelight as well as everyone else’s.
This film plays out like an extended Law and Order episode, so if you’re into courtroom tv, this will be for you. But beware, it’s relatively long and does drag on. Still, Suo creates a movie that makes you think: how far will we go to protect the innocent and condemn who we think may be guilty? Overall, a movie worth watching, especially if you’re into legal dramas.

Heung-Yan Wong