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.

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.

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.

This dropped on Netflix with little fanfare,word of mouth or press releases which is surprising as its directed by cult filmmaker Takashi Miike.

It's an interesting,stylish and extremely well made thriller with solid production values with the cinematography and sound design top notch.

It's a mash up of Jagged Edge,Seven and Memories of Murder but like them outstanding films it's talky and ponderous with some thrilling moments and come few and far between. Although the attack by 'Lumberjack' in the high rise storey building was jumpy.

The problem lies in a overloaded script with too many characters to follow, a sub plot about' neuro chips' that add to very little and little character development.

I wonder if this would have been a better three part Netflix series instead?

Nonetheless, an interesting take on the thriller genre by a world class visionary.

Lumberjack the Monster: The prolific Takashi Miike who brought us Audition, 13 Assassins and Blade of the Immortal directs this serial killer film which definitely enters horror territory. At least 3 serial killers figure here, the Lumberjack tracks down nasty people and smashes their heads in with his ax. He has already dispatched a Ponzi scheme organizer and a violent criminal but his third victim, Akira (Kazuya Kamenashi) turns out to be a bit tougher and fights him off. We've already seen Akira murder a man who was attempting to blackmail him and we've met his doctor friend Sugitani (Shota Sometani) who carries out lethal experiments on living patients. Akira must now track down and kill the Lumberjack if he is to survive. There's also a profiler Ranko (Nanao) who takes an interest in Akira and a driven detective (Kiyohiko Shibukawa) who is obsessive in his pursuit of murderers, none of these are stock characters, they are fully fleshed out. Some really disturbing scenes of heads being crushed, jugular veins slashed and scenes of existential horror. I won't describe the latter as it would give too much away, similarly I can't name the actor who portrays Lumberjack. There is also a conspiracy stretching back 30 years and a few interesting plot twists. Good performances from the main cast. Directed by Takashi Miike, Screenplay by Hiroyoshi Koiwa, based on the 2019 Mayusuke Kurai novel of the same name. On Netflix. 8/10.