Motion cinema is a vista full of all method of skills each in entrance of and behind the digital camera, delivering an unlimited array of delights starting from fights and gun battles to vehicular carnage and epic stunts. There’s one thing for everyone, and for individuals who like exquisitely crafted fights in in any other case small, genre-fluid movies, there’s stunt performer turned choreographer turned director Kensuke Sonomura. In the event you’ve learn my motion protection lately then you definitely’ve already seen me praising each his directorial efforts (Hydra, 2019; Unhealthy Metropolis, 2022) and his work as motion director for movies like Nowhere Woman (2015), John Woo’s Manhunt (2017), the Child Assassins trilogy (2021-2024), and extra. And now you’re gonna see me have a good time his newest characteristic, Ghost Killer.
A battle erupts in an in any other case empty alleyway as one man is attacked by many. Kudo (Masanori Mimoto) handles the a number of, knife-wielding attackers with bursts of precision, velocity, and energy, however when it’s over he’s felled by a bullet from behind. Faculty pupil Fumika (Akari Takaishi) is aware of nothing of this when she finds a discarded shell casing on the bottom, however the discovery connects her to the now useless murderer by forcing his ghost to remain inside fifteen toes of her. Scared, incredulous, offended — Fumika runs an emotional gamut earlier than lastly agreeing to the one factor the undead killer needs. She’s going to assist him get revenge.
Ghost Killer sees Sonomura as soon as once more shifting up his story and sub-genre aspirations — Hydra is a tiny story of an ex-assassin, Unhealthy Metropolis is extra about world-building and celebrating Japan’s V-cinema releases — by delivering an motion/comedy this time round. It’s a tone that matches him properly, thanks particularly to Takaishi’s playful skills with bodily comedy, and it makes for a enjoyable, low-key time. In fact, simply as with these different two movies, it’s additionally punctuated with some really stellar battle sequences.
Kudo is a ghost, unable to have an effect on the residing world, however when he and Fumika “contact” he’s in a position to inhabit and management her physique. Suppose Carl Reiner’s All of Me (1984), however with blistering, fantastically choreographed and executed fights. Takaishi doesn’t attain Steve Martin’s mastery of bodily hijinks, however she nonetheless delivers massive laughs shifting between personalities and management. Her comedic beats are considerably toned down right here in comparison with the Child Assassins movies, and he or she strikes a very good steadiness between a flesh and blood character worrying about life and romance and an sometimes possessed badass. Equally, whereas her personal battle prowess has steadily improved throughout three Child Assassins movies, Sonomura is aware of when to tag her out for Mimoto.
Watching Mimoto battle is a very chic expertise as, very similar to Saori Izawa within the Child Assassins movies, he’s an ideal muse for Sonumura’s rapid-fire, always evolving choreography. Hits and kicks unload at a ridiculous price with dodges and grapples equally ubiquitous, and all of feels as spontaneous because it does exactly focused. In the event you admire nice battle choreography, then it’s a must to love this mix of skills. Associated, Hydra followers, particularly, needs to be stoked for this battle reunion between Mimoto and the all the time spectacular Naohiro Kawamoto.
These conversant in Sonomura’s two earlier directorial efforts know that his method to downtime between motion scenes is simply that, downtime. Quite than use these scenes for narrative momentum or exposition dumps, Ghost Killer and screenwriter Yugo Sakamoto take the chance for character beats and musings on life, demise, and the circumstances which have led to this second. Observations on honor, loyalty, and the way assassins are simply canine following their masters’ orders share headspace with conversations about how shitty males may be, and all of it comes with equal doses of humor and sincerity. The method is greater than a little bit of an anathema to Hollywood fare, and as such it’d go away some viewers clamoring for one thing totally different. It’s their loss, although, as these moments maintain interactions each heat and humorous for these with an grownup’s consideration span.
The principles of the possession are a bit versatile, and the unfolding plot is fairly simple, however Takaishi and Mimoto are an undeniably enjoyable pair making certain that we’re alongside for the experience no matter what’s occurring on display screen. Ghost Killer is a small movie, extra Hydra than Unhealthy Metropolis, but it surely’s a very good time punctuated with motion brilliance. Right here’s hoping this group of extraordinarily proficient mates and co-creators proceed their action-forward journey for a very long time to return. I’d say to double characteristic it with Ninja III: The Domination (1984), one other movie a few useless killer inhabiting a younger girl’s physique, however I do not know which needs to be watched first — the goofy, over-the-top bombast of the Cannon movie, or the extra intimate however endlessly spectacular battle mastery of Ghost Killer? Actually, you possibly can’t go mistaken both manner.
Ghost Killer had its world premiere at Unbelievable Fest 2024.