If there’s one thing you can count on from the current wave of Japanese genre cinema, it’s a refusal to play by the rules. We’ve seen the ‘assassins having an existential crisis’ trope perfected in the Baby Assassins franchise, but Kensuke Sonomura’s Ghost Killer takes that DNA and injects a shot of supernatural adrenaline straight into its jugular.
The premise is gloriously high-concept. Kudo (Masanori Mimoto), a legendary hitman, finds himself on the wrong end of a bullet. Instead of moving toward the light, his spirit becomes tethered to Fumika (Akari Takaishi), a timid university student who accidentally picks up the shell casing that killed him. The catch? Kudo can only possess her with her express consent, creating a strange partnership that’s as much about navigating awkward boundaries as it is about revenge.
Takaishi is the real secret weapon here. Her switch between Fumika’s wide-eyed awkwardness and Kudo’s ruthless efficiency is a masterclass in physical performance. She mirrors Mimoto’s hardened movements so convincingly that the possession gimmick genuinely works, even when the film leans into its more cartoonish, slapstick tendencies.
On the action front, Sonomura absolutely delivers. The fight choreography is tight, grounded and refreshingly tangible. Rather than burying everything under frantic editing, the camera actually lets performers move, giving the combat a satisfying rhythm and physicality. It has flashes of the balletic brutality of John Wick, but with a scrappier, more playful energy.
What really elevates Ghost Killer, though, is the unexpected humanity underneath the chaos. As the story unfolds, the relationship between Fumika and Kudo shifts from simple revenge to something closer to understanding. The film even slips in a light but pointed commentary on toxic masculinity and social apathy.
It takes a little time to establish its supernatural rules, but once it gets moving, Ghost Killer becomes exactly what great genre cinema should be: weird, inventive, violent, and a hell of a lot of fun.
GHOST KILLER is on UK and Ireland digital platforms April 6th.
