I’ve been a fan of Ryuhei Kitamura’s films ever since I saw Versus at the Philadelphia Film Festival in 2002. His kinetic use of the camera excited me like no other director had since I had first seen Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead 2 14 years earlier. He followed that up with the even better Azumi, which features camerawork even more dizzying. Although Sky High and Godzilla: Final Wars didn’t quite live up to the heights of the two previous films, they still are entertaining.
Now, Kitamura is readying the release of his first English language film, Midnight Meat Train. Adapted from a short story by Clive Barker, it stars Bradley Cooper as a photographer who discovers a serial killer (Vinnie Jones) who uses the subway system as his own personal abattoir.
The trailer for the film, which is scheduled for release next year, doesn’t strike me as really showcasing Kitamura’s strengths, but trailers are often cut differently from the final film. We’ll see next year.
