K-20(2008)

Circus acrobat Endo is framed as villain K-20, arrested, interrogated and escapes. He enlists the help of Countess Yoko Hashiba and her fiance Detective Akechi to vindicate him. Detective Akechi is actually K-20, the master of disguise. He uses his position to ‘investigate’ K-20, easily access the items he wants to steal and entraps and therefore enlist the help of the innocent Endo in return for exonerating him. Countess Hashiba suspects Akechi is K-20 after recognising his hands when he is disguised as her dressmaker. She warns Endo and after Endo opens the mysterious energy device in the Hashiba mansion’s floor, he fakes his own death and successfully unmasks Akechi.

Akechi warns Endo that only Akechi can vindicate him and that if Endo kills him then he will forever be on the run, known as the villain K-20. Although Endo has an overwhelming desire to return to the circus a free man, he kills Akechi when he destroys the machine.

Countess Hashiba saves Endo with seconds to spare. They have a tender moment but realise that their worlds are too different and they can never be together.

The movie ends with Endo becoming and accepting his role as K-20 – becoming a ‘Robin Hood’ character. The Countess, after seeing how the real world works and the plight of orphans in Endo’s care, makes many reforms for the better and thinks of Endo in her heart at a press conference while he secretly looks on from the spire of a building in the distance.