Director: Kôji Shiraishi
Year: 2014
Country: Japan/South Korea
Alternate Titles: Aru yasashiki satsujinsha no kiroku
Genre: Serial Killer
Plot:
Journeying together with her cameraman, a Korean reporter finds herself tasked with following a former childhood friend who's now a ravenous serial killer leaving a trail of bodies behind him in his quest to conduct a specific ritual in order to bring back a childhood friend of theirs.
Review:
This one was quite an enjoyable effort. One of the better features here is the fact that there's a strong storyline at play here which brings a lot to the table. The familiarity they have with each other from their past that they mention here as they knew each other when they were kids and were friends before the institutionalization occurred which gives them a rather strong and unique connection for her to be sought out for his rampage and has a big starting point to the point of his rampage. His intent with the rampage, to kill a select number of individuals in order to carry out a special prophecy told to him in an asylum, is told rather well and is quite original in this genre realm of following lunatics on a seemingly divine message.
That plays a large part of what makes the middle of the film so intriguing. Knowing that he's intent on finishing his quest to bring the dead girl back to life, the fact that his manic outbursts and psychotic ramblings about the need to follow the seemingly random clues he sees in the magazine article provide a grounding for that story that gets utilized here. When the clues in the story start to emerge and he forces them into more dangerous situations, including the captive couple he already holds in the apartment or the encounter with the other couple who show up which features a standout brawl throughout the room in order to get the upperhand, the story becomes somewhat more intriguing and uncomfortable with what he puts them through later on. That the tables are further turned in the encounter when the final piece of the puzzle is revealed offers up a solid finale that makes this one get wilder in the finale offering up plenty of stellar gore and a crazy finish that's patently unpredictable. These here manage to hold this one up considerably over the few flaws.
There are a few issues to be had with the film. The main problem is the seemingly random bit in the final half where the new couple involved in the events are way too eager to have the killer seemingly think they’re under his control but instead turn the tables on him. While it’s indeed a stellar surprise to have the couple become their true selves with their perverted nature egging him on to rape the girl for his delight, it’s another thing entirely to have them all sit around listening to the entire story about his rampage and the intent behind it without voicing any objections about it and just going along with it. That’s entirely unrealistic, especially after all the damage he had inflicted upon them earlier in the day which is rather tough to believe. Along with some goofy banter that makes this one somewhat difficult to follow at times, there’s not much else really wrong here.
Overview: ****/5
On the whole, there’s not much wrong with this found-footage effort which really manages to have plenty to like in terms of a fantastic setup and some solid action scenes throughout here. This is wholly worthwhile if you’re a fan of the found-footage style or the director’s previous works or even just curious based on the reputation, while those put off by the style or format should heed caution with this one.
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