Diner

A decent Japanese oddity with great style! Tatsuya Fujiwara (Death Note, Rurouni Kenshin: The End of a Legend Arc) plays a bartender in a fancy restaurant with a very specific clientele: killers and lunatics. A new cute waitress reluctantly starts working there, having no idea what she's getting into. The film has an original colorful style (the visuals are truly stunning and the bar is pleasantly exotic), the gang of killers is interesting, and each has their own "room" in the establishment. The best one is the bizarre character of the bulldog, who steals most scenes for himself and is great in action. I'm a bit disappointed with the action itself, even though it has its own identity and one scene is clearly a nod to The Matrix. I was hoping for more explicit violence, but I still enjoyed watching the film. The characters are well-played, the story is interesting, and it manages to surprise in unexpected directions at times, and the premise itself is more than attractive, so I'm satisfied. Japan has brought me joy after a long time. 7/10. (2021.05.03)