Fantastic Fest 2024: Ghost Killer masterfully combines comedy, fantasy and action

I have to be honest, I originally had no intention of watching this Ghost Killer. In fact, I hadn't even seen the film until a few days ago. There are so many great films at Fantastic Fest that some are bound to fall by the wayside, and this film was to be one of those unfortunate casualties for me. But that all changed when I unexpectedly got the chance to review the film. The title and premise both sounded pretty interesting, so I decided to give this film a chance. And you know what? I'm glad I did.

Ghost Killer was directed by Kensuke Sonomura and stars Masanori Mimoto, Mario Kuroba, and Akari Takaishi. In the film, Fumika is a normal college student whose world is turned upside down when she picks up a random bullet casing she finds lying on the ground. It turns out that this cartridge came from the bullet that killed a master assassin named Kudo, and now the man's spirit has attached itself to her.

Kudo has to stay at a certain distance from Fumika, and if they hold hands, he can even take possession of the girl. At first, Fumika wants nothing to do with the dead man, but when she learns that she can get rid of him by helping him take revenge on the people who took his life, she slowly changes her mind.

Ghost Killer opens with a fight between Kudo (before his death) and three masked attackers with knives, and this scene won me over immediately. It's superbly choreographed and executed, but what really caught my eye was the way it was shot. Many American action movies chop up their fight scenes with about a million cuts per second, so you get little more than a blur.

But this flick is from Japan, and as you may know, things are a little different there. While there are some cuts in this opening fight, they are relatively few and far between. The scene is made up of long takes that allow you to follow the action effortlessly and enjoy the fantastic martial arts. It's the perfect start for a film like this, and it gave me confidence that the rest of the film would Ghost Killer would be just as good.

And it is, but not for the reasons I expected. Yes, the action is phenomenal throughout, but it surprisingly takes a back seat until the last 15-20 minutes or so. Instead, the majority of this film focuses primarily on its characters and the incredibly great chemistry they have with each other, and thankfully Ghost Killer is also an absolute hit in this respect.

Let's start with the lead role. Fumika is brought to life beautifully by Akari Takaishi and this young woman is basically asked to play two roles. Most of the time she is a typical college student but when Kudo takes over her role she has to act like a seasoned assassin as well. It's a tough job but she pulls it off without breaking a sweat. There are even several scenes where she has to switch back and forth between Fumika and Kudo in the same shot and the transition is seamless every time.

Similarly, the relationship between this college student and her new boyfriend, a contract killer, is also super funny. As you can probably guess, these characters couldn't be more different, and this discrepancy between personalities makes for some really hilarious moments. It's a bit reminiscent of the chemistry between Venom and Eddie Brock in the Poison movies, so if you are a fan of this series, I think you will really enjoy this film.

However, there is more to the characters in Ghost Killer than just lighthearted hilarity. At one point in the story, Fumika meets Kudo's old friend, the assassin Kagehara, and these two gangsters develop surprisingly touching storylines. They both realize that it's better to help people than to kill them, and these transformations will give you a warm, fuzzy feeling.

Last but not least, we need to talk about the measures Ghost Killer. Like I said, there's not a lot of it in the first two acts, but what little we get is super funny. Then, when we finally reach the last 15-20 minutes, the film stops holding back and it's a brutal beauty.

In particular, the fight between Kudo and an equally skilled assassin nearly made my jaw drop. These two fighters are fast, they're precise, and the choreography flows so well that at times it feels more like a dance than a fight (in a good way!). It's one of the best martial arts scenes I've seen in a long time, and it makes this film an absolute must-see for action fans.

So if you are a fan of the genre, I highly recommend Ghost Killer as soon as it's available to a wider audience. With incredible action, hilarious comedy and likeable characters, it's undoubtedly one of the best films I've seen so far at this year's Fantastic Fest, and if this sounds like something you might like, I think you'll love it as much as I do.

Ghost Killer was shown at Fantastic Fest on September 19th and is scheduled to be shown again the following day. 25 September.