New Delhi: Reportedly the masterwork of Japanese filmmaker Miike Takashi, the suspenseful mystery thriller Lumberjack the Monster follows the vengeful lawyer Akira Ninomiya as he seeks vengeance after his narrow escape from a shadowy serial murderer.
Following its October 2023 debut at the Tokyo International Film Festival, Lumberjack the Monster had a theatrical release in Japan in December of that year. The worldwide premiere of Takashi’s suspense film on the OTT platform is now scheduled for June 1. Netflix has returned with Lumberjack the Monster, a film based on Kurai Mayusuke’s Kaibutsu no Kikori.
Plot
A grisly serial murder case unfolds, with a twist. The killings seem to have been inspired by the picture book “Kaibutsu no Kikori.” The serial murderer attacks his victims while disguised as the Lumberjack Monster and uses an axe to remove their brains. Akira Ninomiya, a lawyer, becomes the serial killer’s second victim. One peculiarity of the lawyer is his complete absence of empathy. In addition to having psychopath tendencies, he is a cold-blooded and emotionally distant individual.
Along with profiler Toshiro Ranko and Dr. Sugitani Kuro, other individuals, such as Ninomiya Akira’s fiancée Hasumi Emi and former murder suspect Kenmochi Takeshi, are drawn into the case. Similar to a puzzle, the case must be completed to discover the serial killer’s motives – why he or she removed the victim’s brain and who was picked as the next victim. If Ninomiya Akira wants to keep himself alive, he must figure out this riddle. There will be no mercy for the psychopath or serial murderer in this showdown.
When and Where to Watch?
After making its North American debut at the Japan Society on May 6, 2024, in association with the Tribeca Festival’s Escape from Tribeca, the film will now be available on Netflix beginning June 1, 2024.
🚨 Takashi Miike’s LUMBERJACK THE MONSTER lands on @Netflix this Saturday.
It’s Psychopath vs Serial Killer, as a deranged lawyer monomaniacally dedicates himself to tracking down the masked killer who’s using an axe to crack open heads and steal brains. pic.twitter.com/mxtGlzqDtk— Whitlock And Pope 🏳️⚧️🤘 (@WhitlockAndPope) May 31, 2024
Cast and Crew
Ninomiya Akira, played by Kamenashi Kazuya, is the main character in this suspenseful drama. With Nanao as Toshiro Ranko, Riho Yoshioka as Hasumi Emi, Kiyohiko Shibukawa as Inui Noboru, Shota Sometani as Sugitani Kuro, and Shido II Nakamura as Kenmochi Takeshi, among others, the supporting cast is round out.
Koiwai Hiroyoshi wrote the script, Miike Takashi directed the film, and Endo Koji composed the music.