Published in Japan's Weekly Young Jump magazine since 2005, Shinobu Kaitani's Liar Game manga series was adapted for television in 2007 and was a huge success. The DVD edition went on to rack up record sales.
Its snowballing popularity has inspired not only new seasons of the TV series, but also Liar Game: For Real! - a contest featuring members of the public - and now a live-action movie.
Directed by Hiroaki Matsuyama, Liar Game: The Final Stage picks up where season two of the TV show left off. In the film, 11 contestants remain in a high-stakes tournament. Greed provides the fuel for their actions and deception is the name of the game. The players are vying for the US$50 million grand prize, while the losers accumulate huge debts.
Innocent college student Nao Kanzaki (Erika Toda) becomes an unlikely contestant after being lured into the game. Not familiar with the art of deception, she enlists the help of con master Shinichi Akiyama (Shota Matsuda) to protect her from the deceit of the other players. To further complicate matters, a mysterious Player X arrives and takes on the role of 'trust assassin'.
The film not only exposes the true nature of humanity, but also ends with a shattering revelation about the game itself.
The film contains some frightening scenes.