Netflix’s ‘Demon City’ Reactions Reveal if the Revenge Action Thriller Is Worth a Watch

presents Demon City

, a John Wick-esque revenge thriller and adaptation of the manga “Oni Goroshi” by Masamichi Kawabe, which tells the violent and visceral tale of a legendary hitman who, after his wife and daughter are killed, resurrects his particular set of skills on a bloody path of vengeance. The first reactions to Demon City, which offers gritty action with a supernatural twist, are now in. So, does Demon City continue the streamer’s action movie hot streak? Or this action thriller a disappointing imitation of Keanu Reeves’ dog-loving hitman?

Pramit Chatterjee of Digital Mafia Talkies found it to be very much the former, awarding Demon City a near-perfect score of 4/5 and praising the action on display.

“What Demon City lacks in terms of emotional depth or narrative complexity, it more than makes up for with its balls-to-the-walls, no-holds-barred, fabulously gory, and insanely entertaining action sequences.”

Demon City being no-nonsense action fare seems to be what many critics love about it, with LaNeysha Campbell of But Why Tho? A Geek Community saying, “Demon City is a dark action adventure full of intense fight scenes. If you want an entertaining, straight-to-the-point bloody action film, Demon City is right up your alley. The film is a solid entry point to explore more of Hiroaki Samura’s work.” While David Ehrlich of indieWire concludes, “A fun Japanese action film that adds exactly nothing to the “retired hitman seeks revenge” sub-genre and has a decent time doing it.”

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The action thriller boasts a score of 91% on Rotten Tomatoes.

So, if simple, cathartic, bloody revenge is what you’re looking for, Demon City could be just the movie for you. “Demon City is a relentless bloody film packed with action scenes. It’s like a straightforward John Wick and Ninja Assassin at the same time,” adds @anythingkworthy, while @BenjyBox says, “Seiji Tanaka’s DEMON CITY is a flashy adaptation of Masamichi Kawabe’s ultra-violent manga series “Onigoroshi”. It’s a vengeance story but with a cool demonic possession twist, and Tanaka shows real skill as a director of close-up combat! Some of the set pieces are brutal.”

Netflix’s ‘Demon City’ Offers No-Nonsense Action Thrills

Netflix

However, for some, the simple pleasures are sometimes not enough. James Hadfield of Japan Times gave the action movie just 1/5, saying, “Relentless both in its violence and drudgery, “Demon City” is a film that would once have gone straight to DVD.” X/Twitter user @HeadExposure felt similarly, though did praise the “staircase oner” fight scene. “A magnetic Toma Ikuta does his best to bring a depressingly uninspired plot to life, helped somewhat by the action design from Takashi Tanimoto (last year’s CITY HUNTER),” their reaction reads.

But, for many, the delights of Demon City will be exactly what fans are looking for. @TheCinediction said of the movie, “Simple plot but entertaining with nice twists and brutal fight sequences, but lacks emotional depth,” while @DerekBrocks came away a huge fan of the revenge thriller, declaring, “Rewatched “Demon City” and man this movie F*CKS HARD, the fight with the red demon is packed with so much energy, violent fervor and relentless rage exacerbated by Tomoyasu Hotei’s absolutely badass metal soundtrack, that it’s impossible for me not to combust with glee.”

Demon City is directed and co-written by Seiji Tanaka, and is led by Tôma Ikuta as Shuhei Sakata, AKA the “Immortal Hit Man,” who drags himself from the depths of hell and transforms himself into an unstoppable demon to avenge his family. The rest of the cast includes Masahiro Higashide, Mio Tanaka, Ami Touma, Taro Suruga, Mai Kiryu, Naoto Takenaka, Takuma Otoo, Masanobu Takashima, Matsuya Onoe. Demon City is now available to stream on Netflix, and you can check out the first footage and synopsis below.

“Just as hit man Shuhei Sakata is about to clean up his act for his family, the mysterious organization Kimen-gumi murders his wife and daughter, pinning the blame on him and sullying his name. After being shot in the head, he miraculously survives but falls into a coma. Twelve years later, the Kimen-gumi attacks him again, but his dormant killer instinct awakens, setting him on an epic course of revenge. However, what awaits him is a truth that threatens to completely alter his destiny.”

Demon City

Release Date

February 27, 2025

Runtime

106 Minutes

Director

Seiji Tanaka

Writers

Seiji Tanaka

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