I really wanted to like this movie, but despite some moments of sheer brilliance, it doesn't quite hold together....
As earlier reviewers have already stated, the film centers around a reserved young Japanese man who wakes up in a hotel room unable to remember the day before. He regains his memory little-by-little through flashbacks and little clues from his pockets. He soon learns he is the subject of a national manhunt, for reasons best left to the viewer.
"Monday" switches genres several times in the space of 1 hour and 40 minutes. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it is difficult to do well. The first fifteen minutes are brilliant. The funeral scene is expertly timed comic gold....We then veer into absurd "Twin Peaks" territory at the bar, which ends up merely being annoying.
We then enter Tarantino-ville, although the style is really more Dog Day Afternoon vs. American Psycho. The protagonist understands what he has done, and we watch as a very disturbed man goes insane before your very eyes. This is done well, but the film goes off-track again (is it being preachy? is it being tongue-in-cheek?) before ending.
Basicaly, I felt that this is a very original movie and a very original idea that could have been a lot better. I'd like to see what else the director can do.
As earlier reviewers have already stated, the film centers around a reserved young Japanese man who wakes up in a hotel room unable to remember the day before. He regains his memory little-by-little through flashbacks and little clues from his pockets. He soon learns he is the subject of a national manhunt, for reasons best left to the viewer.
"Monday" switches genres several times in the space of 1 hour and 40 minutes. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it is difficult to do well. The first fifteen minutes are brilliant. The funeral scene is expertly timed comic gold....We then veer into absurd "Twin Peaks" territory at the bar, which ends up merely being annoying.
We then enter Tarantino-ville, although the style is really more Dog Day Afternoon vs. American Psycho. The protagonist understands what he has done, and we watch as a very disturbed man goes insane before your very eyes. This is done well, but the film goes off-track again (is it being preachy? is it being tongue-in-cheek?) before ending.
Basicaly, I felt that this is a very original movie and a very original idea that could have been a lot better. I'd like to see what else the director can do.