That is the opening. This is a political and psychological drama with interludes of cat and mouse rife with violence. The main character is as much the protagonist as he is his own antagonist. The major supporting character that he is with for the duration of the runtime may be viewed as a fragment of the main character's conscience, or the angel upon his shoulder, in a deconstructed sense. It is the struggle of right and wrong, of moral obligations and of following orders unquestioningly. It is the inflexible spirit of a man that causes him to break when the weights of his woes grow too heavy for him to bear any longer down the path he walks.
The writing is dystopic, dry, and perhaps allegorical in what its characters are supposed to represent when confronting one another. The story has aged with some measure of grace, but the constitution of the narrative is ultimately a weak one for something as seriously presented as this. The major themes invited by the premise become absent at the setting level and instead become a part of the characterizations themselves.
The animation is exceptional--on this point there is no grounds for argument. The way in which Jin-Roh depicts humanity and stays its hand of caricaturizing and stylizing people is elegant and conveys gravity to the story. If speaking solely of animation, this film is a masterclass.
The execution of the complicated themes this work tackles is good, not outstanding. This movie is entertaining and delivers a compelling narrative, but it is savory. There is little sweetness and much bitterness. This is not the kind of film one will watch and rewatch periodically, even if there is beauty to be found in its melancholic depiction of life under totalitarianism.
I recommend this film to anyone seeking mature themes and thriller elements in a dystopic setting.
