Lumberjack the Monster

While this did have a few of Takashi Miike's signature moves (blood spurting like it was being shot out of a gun), it was probably the slowest, most excruciatingly painful dalliance ever put on film. It was a short-short that Miike dragged out to almost 2 hours with.insanely mundane shots and dialogue that added nothing to the story whatsoever. I honestly don't know what kept me watching it until the end. Maybe I was hoping something might actually happen--but it didn't. It's not a thriller, it's definitely not horror, it's barely drama, and I guess "crime" is the only genre it fits since it did involve a crime. Really bad. I gave it a 2 out of nostalgia for Takashi Miike's earlier work but it doesn't even deserve that.

This is a very cool and unusual thriller out of the Japanese film market. From the very beginning it will have you engaged in its creepy feel and disturbing imagery. The movie has many elements involving modern scientific and biological experimentation and their dangers- a modern day Frankenstein's tale, if you will. The acting and cinematography are very engaging. The characters are strong. The story is good, but there are elements that are a little hard to follow. The pacing and action are good. I really like the films of Japan. They have their own sensibility and sense of originality. Worth seeing.

And it is meandering. It starts about one thing. Then it's another thing. And another thing. And another thing. And another thing. And before it winds back to being how all this things are connected, it just becomes exhausting and a big so-what.

It's not Seven. It's not Silence of the Lambs. It's not Zodiac. And it's not good.

If it was just about the Lumberjack figure and the lore, it probably would have been much better. But, instead, it has to be twenty-five different genres with a hundred unlikable characters and seventy-three thousand plot threads.

By the end, I just didn't care anymore.

It's not a mystery if everyone can see it coming

It's not a thriller if there's nothing to be excited about

Blander than eating paper-the movie features subpar acting, student-grade editing, and a horrible library of soundtracks (ie: there's basically none).

The movie banks it all on a detailed mask for the villain, and a flimsy dive into "modern" scientific concerns-but other than that it is empty.

Psychopathy in this movie is so horribly represented, stereotyped into emotionless "shocking" actions which the characters perform mechanically.

Agreed with a previous reviewer that it may be better watching paint dry than this movie.

Skip it and save your time.

I recently watched the new Japanese film Lumberjack the Monster (2023) on Netflix. The storyline follows an arrogant lawyer with a checkered past who is attacked by a serial killer and barely survives. The lawyer's arrogance won't let him be just another victim, so he decides to go from the hunted to the hunter.

The film is directed by the iconic Takashi Miike (Audition) and stars Kazuya Kamenashi (Joker Game), Nanao (Miss Devil), Keisuke Horibe (Tokyo Gore Police), and Shidô Nakamura (Fearless).

This movie wasn't what I was expecting at all. The main character feels like the actual villain as the story unfolds. The backstories are very well told, and the horror elements are elite. The costumes and kill scenes are top-notch, with great stab scenes and throat slashes. The ending is actually quite rewarding and serves as a perfect conclusion. However, the killer reveal is disappointing and this picture was not what I was hoping for from Miike.

In conclusion, Lumberjack the Monster didn't live up to my expectations of Miike, but it had enough worthwhile elements to watch once. I would score this a 5.5-6/10 and recommend seeing it once.