Ghost Killer

Having established a prolific career working on the stunts for Machine Girl, Alice In Borderland, Baby Assassins and its sequels, and even the 2020 Resident Evil 3 remake, Kensuke Sonomura channels his decades of experience into Ghost Killer, his third feature, to deliver a zany and action-packed outing. Although its ideas don’t always work, genre fans are nevertheless bound to have a blast here.

Starring Baby Assassins’s Akari Takaishi, with a script penned by franchise creator Yugo Sakamoto, the plot follows college student Fumika (Takaishi) become haunted by the ghost of recently murdered hitman Hideo (Masanori Mimoto) when she finds the bullet that killed him. When it’s discovered that he’s able to possess her body, effectively turning her into an unstoppable fighting machine, they decide to form a pact to enact vengeance on Hideo’s killer so that his spirit can leave Fumika alone.

Before the unlikely duo get to the vengeance part of the plot, viewers will have to sit through a lot of extraneous material as the pair learn to work together while taking care of some other problems, which can only be solved by beating up some bad guys. While the onscreen violence doesn’t reach the same levels of insanity and gore as Machine Girl, the action is fast and fluid and each blow lands with a satisfying squelch or crunch. The main highlight, however, is Takaishi’s scene-stealing dual performance. Playing both the non-violent student and a possessed Fumika, the star effortlessly switches between both roles during brawls to deliver what are this flick’s best gags.

Although there’s plenty of joy to be found within Ghost Killer’s creative action and offbeat humour, its blend of comedy and thriller doesn’t always work as intended. In addition to slapstick that often doesn’t stick the landing, Hideo’s quest for revenge likewise follows a generic route that lacks surprises. A rushed final act that sees an ultimately inconsequential antagonist meet a disappointingly quick end also dulls the excitement and leaves this movie feeling underwhelming at points.

Ghost Killer isn’t a perfect film. Its combination of genres doesn’t always hit the mark, and its plot is a little messy. What Sonomura’s latest feature is, though, is a whole lot of guilt-free fun that’s filled with excellent action and a superb performance from Takaishi.

Andrew Murray

Ghost Killer does not have a release date yet.

Read more reviews from our Glasgow Film Festival coverage here.

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