Ghost Face

This was a random pick Ghost Killer (2024) - Japanese action with a comedy twist.

It starts with a fight in an alley - four against one, Masanori Mimoto, in fast, almost silent hand to hand combat. Mimoto has defeated the four when he is shot.

Then we meet Akari Takashi, an ordinary college girl who works in a restaurant and has terrible dates with "influencers". On her way home one day, she notices a shell casing and picks it up. It came from the bullet that killed Mimoto in the opening. 

When she gets home, she meets her friend Ayaka Higashino, whose boyfriend has been knocking her around. When they go inside, she sees Mimoto in the apartment and freaks out. But Higashino can't see him - he's a ghost. It appears that he can't be released from the mortal coil until he can avenge himself. And he will need her help.

First, he shows her that he can help her. It turns out that he can take over her body and use his excellent fighting skills to help her beat up bullies like Higashino's boyfriend. He was a paid killer for an "antisocial organization". She doesn't like the association, but it does turn out to be handy. 

There are two things going for this movie. First is the fight choreography, by directort Kensuke Sonomoto, who seems to be getting a good name in the action genre, along with Yugo Sakamoto, who wrote this. The second is the "average college girl" dropped into the yakuza milieu. There are some cute scenes where she is punching someone out (under ghost control), and complaining about how much it hurts her fists. 

I enjoyed this, although I'm not sure how well they executed on this second part. Not sure they have the Japanese teen girl thing completely figured out. Or maybe it's me that's wrong. But the action was flawless. I'll definitely look up a few more of their films.