The Worst Film Ever

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

This Kiyoshi Kurosawa ghost movie is pretty wild, and it did have at least one jump scare that caught me off guard. But all in all, the movie is incredibly stupid, with a detective trying to track down a suspected serial killer, only to find out he may have committed one of the crimes. Then he finds himself haunted by a gorgeous Asian lady ghost, and has no idea why (and neither does the viewer). As other murders are committed, he becomes even more confused as the killers are easily found, and this ghost still haunts him for some reason. Not only is the plot completely stupid, the lady ghost is more funny than anything, especially when she suddenly flies across the city, like Wonder Woman. And the ending makes little sense, in fact, the whole movie makes little sense, and I can't recommend it at all. If it didn't take itself so serious, I would think it was supposed to be a black comedy. Outside of "Bright Future" this is the worst movie directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa I have seen yet.

I like a lot some Japanese horror movies but,on last years,that kind of cinema made a new cliché:the ghost looking for revenge.And that formula tired me.So,I did not expect too much from Retribution.But,I have to say the film was a nice surprise.It's not great but it's fun and tense.First of all,Retribution is more focused on the suspense than other Japanese horror movies.And the film kept me very tense and I wanted to know what could happen.The film has a very good story that,since the beginning caught my attention.The fail I found on this movie is that there are some redundant and a little bit boring scenes which could have been edited out.Retribution is a very decent film which kept me interested and,except some moments,it kept me very entertained.

The Japenese sense of pacing, editing and musical score must be different than American tastes, but surely this movie could have been so much more with a little more post production work.Someone in Hollywood needs to re-make this movie and I think it would be a big hit. The story is interesting and creepy. There's something about the edges of the city, gritty policemen, earthquakes, sanitariums and mysterious saltwater killings that is enough to be captivating. However, this story has to make just a little bit of sense and maybe be about 40 minutes shorter.I do have to say that the "sixth-sense" effect was in full force in this movie, and that was evident from the very beginning.As it stands, only the die-hard Japanese film lovers should bother seeing this oh-so-boring movie.

This really is another masterpiece in a gathering of work that puts so many American mainstream horror directors to shame.A rich tale of longing and unrequited desire, summed in an intensely satisfying, and beautiful prose. Delicate, yet overwhelming at times. Smart and distracting, like the written lines of Haruki Murakami, filled with lynchesque overtones. It reminded me of Miike doing Izo, in its expertise in skipping genre and time planes to find its core story. I loved this movie. I know it is clique, but I laughed, I cried. I jumped out of the seat of my pants!!!For a lover of Kurosawa, this is a must!