Though made in 1999, it has taken until now for this kidnap drama from Hideo Nakata (Dark Water, Ring) to receive a UK release; something which, we suspect, has more to do with the Japanese director's rising profile than the quality of the film itself.
The thing that made Ring and Dark Water so strikingly successful - their supernatural element - is absent here, Chaos being an attempt to make a straight thriller. However, despite chronological trickery and an excessive number of twists, the movie completely fails to generate tension or find any rhythm or momentum, with the audience's enjoyment further hindered by cardboard characters and an irritating, whiny score.
Its Hitchcock-referencing ending is more impressive, but for the most part you just feel Nakata simply isn't trying.