‘Demon City’ (2025) Netflix Movie Review - Kill Kill, Blank Blank

Seiji Tanaka's Demon City (aka, Oni Goroshi) is based on a manga series of the same name by Masamichi Kawabe, though one wonders why Tanaka had to borrow this material from a comic book when the film is basically a collection of sequences you generally find in action movies. The most obvious "inspiration" is, of course, John Wick. Someone close to the hero is murdered, and he goes on a violent rampage in the city. In Demon City, the unfortunate victims are Sakata's (Tôma Ikuta) daughter and wife. Don't be surprised if I tell you that Sakata's family is killed on the day he decides to quit his job as a hitman. The bad guys, all donning masks that make them look like demons, also shoot Sakata, but when has a hero ever died so easily in these movies? Judging by the events of both Demon City and Reacher Season 3, one can safely conclude that headshots can no longer guarantee a kill, especially if you are the protagonist or the antagonist. Perhaps these movie characters should consider beheading.

Demon City opens with a text that tells us that "the moment someone gets consumed by the desire to take revenge, they become a demon." The main villain, Mayor Sunohara (Matsuya Onoe), prattles about a demon that comes after 50 years to pile up the body count. He calls Shinjo City "the town of demonic possession." What's more, the subtitles call the background music "reverential." All these things indicate the presence of a mystical element that the film never explores or fleshes out in depth. These touches are nothing but shallow embellishments - they don't heighten the experience. Demon City mainly works due to Tanaka's vigor as an action director. I loved what he has done with a hospital sequence. It's rough but also comical, thanks to Ikuta's zombie-like movements. The actor offers Demon City a physical force. Tanaka wonderfully uses Sakata's lean muscles and mean actions to choreograph the chaos. Onoe, on the other hand, imbues Demon City with a diverting tone. His hammy acting is subtly funny and deliciously wicked. Sunohara is so cold that he casually brushes aside his brother's corpse. Did we really need that brief backstory to see Sunohara as pure evil? No. Onoe's performance does the job. It renders that flashback unnecessary - disposable even.

I am not sure if that revelation about Sunohara being the main bad guy is meant to shock the audience. It quickly becomes apparent that he is the man responsible for bombing Sakata's domestic heaven. When characters take off their masks and show their faces in the film, you feel nothing. One can say that the demonic disguise looks appropriate on these demons, but then what? Is their purpose more well-defined in the comic book? Sunohara speaks about that once-in-a-lifetime demon with respect, so by wearing those masks, are these criminals trying to see themselves as that mythological figure? Maybe this is their way of worshiping the demon? The movie doesn't provide us with a clarification. I know something like this should simply be consumed for violence, but I found Sunohara's decision to kill Sakata and his family members to be dumb. Nothing in Demon City suggests that Sakata would have gone after Sunohara and his men after his retirement. Why not let this family man live in peace, then? Perhaps these villains should also start using their brains instead of constantly asserting their power with muscles.

Final Score- [4.5/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times