Lumberjack the Monster

Un tema interesante con una caracterización poco convencional de los personajes, especialmente del ambiguo protagonista Akira, y conexiones inesperadas con su pasado. Una película de detectives escrita con la escalofriante pero tremendamente divertida letra de Miike, con el constante descubrimiento de nuevos hechos que dan sentido a extraños acontecimientos anteriores. Desafortunadamente, pero sin suficiente compromiso emocional, lo que haría de la película una experiencia más fuerte. [Sitges FF] (15.10.2023)

Una historia de detectives poco convencional con una premisa interesante, algo de ciencia ficción, que cambia la percepción que tiene el espectador del personaje principal. La duración de dos horas es quizá demasiado contando con su potencial de película de clase B, pero definitivamente es un entretenimiento muy sólido que recuerda lo mejor del vasto trabajo de Takashi Miike. [Sitges 2023] (24.10.2023)

Due to the imaginative nature of the whole concept (Japanese folk horror meets Dexter meets Black Mirror), it repeatedly cycles through (necessary) passages where one character explains at length to the other (read the viewer) "who, what, why, how". It doesn't have a breakneck pace, and it feels a touch longer than the billed two hours. The infodumping could have (and should have; even considering the author's abilities) been delivered in more cinematic language rather than through static conversations, with the special finale feeling like a live-action episode of Scooby-Doo. It doesn't matter that much, though, because the ambivalence of the characters, along with the concept, pull it off. A hard to describe study of (a)morality, where the responsibility for oneself, who is or isn't a monster under the surface, where the responsibility of a psychopathic personality for whom actions (don't) speak begins or ends, but delivered in a genre-bending trashy style of Takashi Miike. There is a rampaging monster, but there are no horror scenes. It's seen from the point of view of the police, who make their way to the crime scenes, and primarily through the eyes of one of the potential victims, who doesn't feel like a victim, on the contrary, she herself is often on the hunt. It's original, imaginative, thought-provoking and just plain good. However, there was room and talent involved to elevate this to another of genre chameleon of Miike's timeless cult films. It's intriguing, it's out of the ordinary, but for many it will be more of the "much more fun to discuss in the pub over a pint than to watch for two hours" variety. (03.06.2024)