Mikhail Red's offering in Arisaka can be chalked up as an almost cooked thriller that revels more in its chattiness and pacing issues and less in its potential. It's a piece that wants you to be invested in its gritty atmosphere and historical roots but somehow misses its mark some 30 minutes into the flick.
My main beef with its narrative is the failed use of characters. The main villain, played by Mon Confiado, could've been this cold, stoic assassin. Instead, he's the talkative sort-a trait that cost him and his "cop friends" better dynamics and more interesting scenes.
Speaking of his conspiring police buds, their air time was mostly wasted listening to the "I have a point, trust me" stories of Mon's character. I mean, they could've split up and hunted Mariano (the lead character played by Maja Salvador), but instead, they took in the forest ambiance a bit too much and let the convenience of the movie's direction carry them along.
It's good, however, that Maja Salvador played her part really well. Between her and Mon, she had the more believable scenes (although I think the cheesiness of Mon's script was to blame here). After seeing her role here, I can see her as a badass Eveline Salt but more grounded.
I also want to commend the people behind Arisaka's visual effects. Without spoiling anything, let's just say that they did a fantastic job with the eye-candy (although bloody) in the latter half of the movie.
In the end, Arisaka could have been so much more. It had its glimpses of greatness-from the superb acting of Maja to the grittiness and moodiness of certain scenes-but ultimately, the movie's ambition wasn't fully realized. Its elements, particularly the should-be thrilling ones, didn't come together for me when all was said and done.
