This film is about a man who is assigned to work on the demolition of a former dance hall. The building is now haunted by the ghost of a female dancer, making progress difficult. The yakuza become involved when the city feel they cannot find anyone brave enough to get the job done.
This was an okay film. It is marketed as a horror movie but it felt more like a dark drama with supernatural aspects. The story is decent but it could've benefited from more character building.
The special effects were limited but along with the use of color to create changes in atmosphere, what was presented was suitable. I really didn't notice much about the music and I was disappointed that there wasn't more focus on it. Considering that the plot is centered around a former dance hall, it just seemed as though there was a missed opportunity to have used the music to make it more engaging.
The acting was....meh. I didn't recognize the actors but it's possible that I've seen a couple of them casted in other films. As I said before, I felt like there should have been more attention placed on the depth of the characters. For me, depth just helps me invest myself into the characters.
Overall, it's not awful but not overly amazing. There's a scene near the end that helped me give it a boost because I love watching how Asian films don't give a damned when it comes to letting their emotions fly off the handle. They can take a simple failure and turn it into a catastrophe.
I'll give an example: Let's say you go through a drive thru and they give you a coke but you can only drink diet coke. It's disappointing and it feels like this tasty meal you were about to eat is just ruined now.
You pull into a parking place and let yourself feel the frustration. You may hit the steering wheel or mumble something under your breath but you get out of your car and go inside.
You pull the manager to the side and pour the drink out as they watch. You get an apology and can change your drink but you have to take it a step farther.
You throw the cup down, demand a new, untainted cup, tell them they are incompetent, stomp your feet and walking out, you leave a trail of napkins, ketchup packets and straws to remind all the employees that you were troubled by their lack of attention.
This is basic "Karen" behavior but when I see a scene like this in an Asian film they add all the drama most "Karen's" are just shy of displaying. They sling snot, roll on the ground, get physically abusive to anyone in their reach with whatever weapon may be laying around,
which could be as simple as them tossing a banana at someone but it is going to be one hell of a show.
I absolutely love this about these films and I mean that in the best and most sincere way possible. I just love those scenes. Sometimes they make some sense or feel appropriate, albeit it drawn out considering the situation and at other times, it's just funny.
This review went much farther than I intended but I'll easily end it here with, I liked it. I say check it out.
