Lumberjack the Monster

Un sujet intéressant avec une représentation non conventionnelle des personnages (en particulier le protagoniste ambigu Akira) et des liens inattendus avec leur passé. Un thriller policier avec l’écriture froide mais élégamment divertissante de Miike, et la révélation constante de nouveaux faits qui donnent un sens à des événements étranges antérieurs. Malheureusement, il n’y a pas assez d’engagement émotionnel qui aurait pu faire de ce film une expérience plus forte. [Festival du film de Sitges] (15/10/2023)

Un polar non conventionnel avec une prémisse intéressante, légèrement sci-fi, qui retourne la perception du spectateur sur le personnage principal. Au vu de son potentiel de série B, peut-être que deux heures complètes n'étaient pas nécessaires, mais il s'agit malgré tout d'un divertissement très solide, rappelant le meilleur de l'œuvre étendue 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)