'Demon City (2025)' is a Japanese adaptation of Masamichi Kawabe's 'Oni Goroshi' manga, a stripped-back actioner that essentially aims to be a cross between 'John Wick (2014)' and 'The Raid (2011)' but never manages to be as good as either. It isn't bad, and it's nothing if not intense, but there's just this vague sense that it's missing something, that it's underwhelming even as it's utterly sprinting towards its inevitably violent conclusion. Its plotting is predictable and its narrative incredibly generic, but that often doesn't matter much with movies as high-octane as this, so I'm a little puzzled why it never quite lands. It does most things right, but it just feels wrong somehow. The generic score sounds like it's comprised mainly of stock audio, the sound effects leave something to be desired and often reduce the impact of the admittedly savage action, the editing is sometimes noticeably choppy (even if it's often for dramatic effect), and the choreography is never quite as exciting as it feels as though it should be on paper. To be fair, the set-pieces are energetic, often creative, and driven by impressive stunt work that really sells the heightened mayhem they depict. They're also incredibly bloody, spewing so much crimson liquid across the frame that it's a wonder you can see past it. There's always this sense that they're never quite living up to their potential, though, even as they're undeniably getting the job done. I'm aware that my criticisms of the flick mostly boil down to "something's missing", and I can't even identify exactly what that something is, but that genuinely is the prevailing feeling the feature evokes. Everything comes together quite nicely in the uber-brutal finale, which crescendos in a painful one-on-one which really puts the baddie's theory that the protagonist is possessed by a demon to the test. The actual ending is slightly clunky in the way that it initially seems to be setting up a sequel, only to undercut this expectation to provide a definitive finish that's fairly satisfying despite the inelegance of the moments leading up to it. Still, it's ultimately pretty tricky to shake the feeling that this could have been a lot more fun. It's a good example to use when trying to articulate how the best movies seem to be more than the sum of their parts, to have some kind of electric energy coursing between their edits, because the fact that the only thing this lacks is that intangible movie magic acts as pretty solid evidence for its existence. I can't quite put my finger on why, but this is undeniably vaguely disappointing (even for something I'd never heard of before today). It certainly isn't bad by any stretch of the imagination. Even though it isn't massively compelling, it's a relatively entertaining experience that moves fast enough that it never outstays its welcome. At the very least, it will almost certainly satisfy you if you're feeling particularly bloodthirsty (and if it doesn't, you might just be a psychopath). It's a perfectly decent actioner. It's just that, with a bit of refinement, it could have been a really good or even great one. Your mileage may vary, but it left me wanting more.
