Loosely adapted from the massive 12 book comic, this successfully crossbreeds teen horror shenanigans with police procedural suspense, creating a nifty thriller that is never what it seems.

Improbably named Light Yagami (Fujiwara, hero of Battle Royale) is a law student, disappointed with the loop holes that allow murderers, rapists and other undesirables to walk free.

As if sensing his frustration a God of Death (a CGI rendered Nightmare Before Christmas style punk rock demon) drops the Death Note, a mystical book with power of life and death, into Light’s path.

Writing the names of the guilty in the book will leave them dead with seconds, unless the author uses the handy option to describe the nature of the victims' final moments.

Seeing a way to punish the wicked, Light begins a murderous spree that gets him the nickname “Kira” (killer in Japan speak), plus the attention of the police, then wider investigation bureaus, a vengeful lover of a previous victim, and the mysterious “L” (Matsuyama), a genius detective whom Light recognizes as a worthy opponent.

A clever spin on the Faust legend, Death Note reveals as many surprises as the titular loose-leaf.

Avoiding a weighty vigilante debate (although internet fan sites crop up championing Kira, and Light is seen reading Nietzsche, in German no less), Death Note plays as both revenge fantasy and cat-and-mouse thriller, with the book used to lure victims into inspired traps.

Director Kaneko, a veteran of Godzilla and Gamera movies, may mistake bland visuals for sophistication, but keeps the story and characters bound together and hurtling along to a genuinely surprising cliffhanger climax – the already produced sequel should be coming soon.

The fey Fujiwara is the comicbook Light made flesh, giving a deceptively layered performance as the increasingly power-hungry Light, flawlessly acting against the cartoonish but well-realized CGI demon, while Edward Scissorhands lookalike Matsuyama is nicely cocksure and off-balanced as “L”.

Rejoice that this is a BBFC 12A. With its ruthless storytelling and dark, bubbling imagination, this is exactly what kids should be watching.

Rob Daniel