The Big Picture
Lumberjack the Monster
is a new Takashi Miike horror film worth your attention.- The film boasts sinister designs and gruesome violence, creating a deadly cat-and-cat mystery thriller.
- Despite lacking robust promotion, the film builds to a bold and bloody finale that demands attention, standing tall against the odds.
It will always be disappointing how suddenly and without any fanfare Netflix will often drop films that should be exciting releases on its platform. It happened a couple of years back with the sinister vision that was The Stranger, and now it’s happened again with Takashi Miike’s latest film, Lumberjack the Monster. The surprise drop was not like the recent release of Godzilla: Minus One, which already had a theatrical release, but represented the first chance that most audiences would have to see it. Why would you not shout about this from the rooftops? A new Miike vision is something most streamers would champion. Instead, it all feels like an afterthought, a reduction of cinema to just more content to throw into the void where it will be forgotten. Though not a new trend, moments like this do a disservice to the movies and the experience of watching them.
Sure, the director of films like the astounding Audition is certainly prolific, but Lumberjack the Monster sees him returning to horror in a new way. It isn’t his best work by any means, but there are still plenty of interesting things going on here. It’s not just appropriately grim, but it’s also frequently darkly funny, playing around with the genre in a manner that defies easy categorization. It’s the type of thing that stands out from the malaise that can too easily dominate the steamer. At least, it would, if it weren't just dropped without any sort of robust promotion or announcement. It would almost feel like it were an accident if it wasn’t part of an unfortunate pattern. One hopes it thrives on the platform as, even with its flaws, it’s still worth seeing rather than just getting potentially buried.
What Is 'Lumberjack the Monster' About?
Based on the 2019 novel of the same name by Mayusuke Kurai, it all kicks off with a police raid, as we see how a husband and wife are experimenting on children that they have kidnapped. One of them is reading a book, a dark fairytale that gives the film its name and foreshadows the masked serial killer that we will then meet when it flashes forward. The design of this is borderline goofy in some regards, especially its eyes, but the ax that it wields is anything but. The killer becomes locked in a battle with Akira Ninomiya (Kazuya Kamenashi), who gets attacked in a parking lot and seriously injured. That he survived at all was quite lucky, as this killer is known for removing the brains of their victims. Akira will seek revenge and have to outrun the police to find the killer, so he can take justice into his own hands. We know he isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty after a great introductory scene involving a car crash and a slitting of a throat. This isn’t the first burst of blood and it won’t be the last.
While the film will likely be described as a cat-and-mouse mystery, the reality is that it’s more of a cat-and-cat with both foes capable of brutally killing. Miike is never lacking in style in how he shoots with an eye for gruesome compositions, even as some of the conversation scenes can feel a little cold and static by comparison. When we then learn of how Akira has a chip that has been implanted in his head, which he doesn’t remember ever getting and only discovers when in the hospital, that adds a slight layer of mystery. Some of this can become perfunctory in the grand scheme of the film itself, but it does tie it together in the end, as we learn the full scope of what this technology does to people.
A key monologue gives it just enough emotional heft to pack a punch as well, ensuring that the final bloodbath that follows rips right through you. It’s not afraid to get gruesome in terms of gore, but there are also notes of unexpected grace sprinkled throughout. That it always still dives back further into darkness, with one outburst of laughter sending a chill up the spine, it shows that Miike can still be as relentless as ever. It’s a glimpse into a world where the psychopaths we think we know are merely the tip of the iceberg. Even when some moments of visual effects are a little lacking, the core that it finds after the layers of flesh are peeled back always works.
'Lumberjack the Monster' Builds to a Bold and Bloody Ending
Though it still has to battle the streaming forces that are working against it, the film’s ending goes all out in a way that may just break free of Netflix’s black hole. Just a final exchange in the rubble of a battle over a cigarette as time catches up to the film really lands. It’s a twist that could easily feel ridiculous in another film, but the sincerity of Lumberjack the Monster ensures a damning closing proclamation (“good luck with being human”) cuts deeper than any of the blows in the film. There is plenty of cheese to the bloody meal that Miike has prepared, but there is a fiery kick to it as well. Even when everything comes crashing down, this is a film that stands tall and rolls with the punches. It doesn’t deliver a knockout like some of Miike’s other films, but it still manages to beat all it has working against it into submission. One can only hope it manages to beat the odds again and find the audience it deserves.
REVIEW
Lumberjack the Monster (2023)
Lumberjack the Monster is a flawed yet fun horror film from Takashi Miike that deserves better than the release it got on Netflix.
- The film brings a sinister sense of style with plenty of gruesome compositions.
- Miike proves to be just as relentless as ever, diving back into darkness when it counts.
- The film builds to a bold and bloody ending with some key moments cutting deeper than any blow.
- Some of the events playing out can feel a little perfunctory.
Lumberjack the Monster is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.
WATCH ON NETFLIX
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