Horror novels scare readers through the power of their imaginations, but sometimes, adapting these words straight on screen limits the fear factor. That’s what happened with Lumberjack the Monster. While the film crescendos nicely into the intense graphic violence director Takashi Miike is known for, the introduction is a bit shaky, alternating between the cops and protagonist Akira Ninomiya without a neat balance, and having to reveal key points of the mystery only through dialogue. The film does still retain some of novelist Mayusuke Kurai’s contemplations about the consequences of clinical psychopaths placed in critical roles, but Lumberjack the Monster feels a tad too uneven.
A self-proclaimed psychopath, coldblooded lawyer Ninomiya becomes obsessed with stopping an ax-wielding serial killer who's made him their next target.
After surviving a brutal attack from a masked axe murderer, lawyer Akira Ninomiya is made aware of a neuro chip implanted in his brain, making him obsessed with finding the attacker and getting his revenge.
The film is more boggling than scary, to be honest.
Lumberjacks deserved better.
