REVIEW: ‘Demon City’ Is A Visceral Thriller Lacking Substance

Hitmen, corruption, a masked criminal syndicate, and a man seeking revenge collide in Demon City. The latest from Netflix brings the brutal pages of mangaka Masamichi Kawabe’s Oni Goroshi to life in this Japanese live-action adaptation directed by Seiji Tanaka. The dark action thriller stars Tôma Ikuta as Shuhei Sakata, Matsuya Onoe as Ryû Sunohara, Masahiro Higashide as Kanta Fase, and Mai Kiryu as Aoi.

Demon City takes place in a crime-ridden Shinjo City and follows expert hitman Shuhei Sakata as he completes his last job and attempts to leave his life as an assassin behind for the sake of his wife and daughter. Unfortunately, things do not go as planned, and tragedy strikes when Sakata’s wife and daughter are murdered in front of him by the ruthless Kimen-gumi Gang.

The masked murderers shoot Sakata in the head and frame him for his family’s deaths. By some miracle, Sakata survives the gunshot to the head but remains in a vegetative state for twelve years. Upon his release from prison, he is encountered by one of the Kimen-gumi Gang members as they attempt to finish their job and kill Sakata. Suddenly, Sakata and his killer hitman instincts are reawakened as he sets out for vengeance and to kill the people who destroyed his life.

Cinematically, Demon City is visually engaging, thanks to Tanaka’s direction, which captures the gritty film noir aesthetics amongst a modern backdrop. The shots of  Shinjo City capture the grimy, crime-filled streets and the dangers lurking throughout.

Tôma Ikuta delivers an impressive performance as Sakata. 

From the film’s start, Demon City is packed with gruesome, action-packed fights, each one deadlier as Sakata takes down one foe after another. The fight choreography, stunts, and effects are exciting and will keep the audience engaged in the plot. Some fights are more intense and bloodier than others to portray the visceral display of brutality. Fans of action and revenge thrillers will likely enjoy Demon City for the intense action sequences. The film might even spark interest among watchers who want to read the source material on Oni Goroshi.

Unfortunately, the film’s breakneck pace and constant action leave very little room to explore the main character’s emotions beyond his vengeful rage. A brief scene at the film’s beginning featuring Sakata and his family shows that beneath his ruthless killer exterior, he is a dedicated father and husband who deeply loves his family.

Sadly, that is the limit of Sakata’s emotional depth and layers. It felt like a missed opportunity to examine Sakata’s feelings and connections to family beyond his seeking revenge for them. For example, it would have been interesting if the film had dedicated some time to showing how Sakata and his wife met, fell in love, and started a family—possibly even showing how a brutal killer like Sakata was able to connect and fall in love with someone.

Tomo Ikuta delivers an impressive performance as Sakata. Ikuta throws his entire body into embodying the character’s physicality and resolve as a rage-filled, grief-stricken man, which pays off and provides excellent entertainment value. Sadly, the script does little to nothing to flesh out Ikuta’s characters’ internal struggles or external monologue, as the character barely says anything after the film’s first act.

Intense fight scenes can’t distract from a lackluster execution in Demon City.

The script’s lack of dialogue and introspection for the main protagonist makes it difficult to connect with Sakata more as a character. A confidant or even a few more brief moments of vulnerability could have added much more depth to the characters. Nonetheless, Sakata’s stoic nature and obsession with revenge leave no room for meaningful connections or further exploration into his character’s psyche. This is a shame because it would have helped to flesh out the character more if he had another person to confide his emotions to. Unfortunately, there is no room for that Demon City.

The film’s premise is intriguing at first glance but sadly falls short upon execution and leaves little to be desired. Ultimately, it is a standard revenge plot following a predictable storyline and characters. The does sprinkle a few surprises into the plot such as a major reveal that adds greater stakes to Samara’s mission.

Despite its formulaic storyline, Demon City suffers from a few glaring plotholes. None more so than Sakata’s rapid recovery from a vegetative state to a killing machine.  After spending twelve years in an immobile and non-verbal state, he is somehow able to move with enough strength and speed to kill two men. Mere hours later, he takes down numerous bodies as if his strength and skills had not faltered after over a decade of being inactive. The film does not explain Sakata’s miracle recovery, making it hard to suspend disbelief in the film’s reality.

Demon City is a dark action adventure full of intense fight scenes. If you want an entertaining, straight-to-the-point bloody action film, Demon City is right up your alley. The film is a solid entry point to explore more of Hiroaki Samura’s work. However, the live-action adaptation is predictable and severely lacks substance and emotional depth regarding the script and its main characters.

Demon City is streaming exclusively on Netflix.