Review of Death Trance (2005) by Jason D — 07 May 2009

Though Death Trance was considered a jumbled mess compared to director Yûji Shimomura's previous Asian masterpiece Versus, I couldn't help but think how the storytelling and original plotlines far exceeded anything that is coming out of America.

In Death Trance, a samurai warrior has infiltrated a monk monastery which holds the coffin of the Goddess of Destruction and steals the coffin, taking out everyone in his path. One lone monk now tries to track down the coffin, as does another man (who carries a bazooka!).

There's also a fallen angel who provides guidance here and there. Yeah, the plot may seem jumbled and all over the place, but as the film moves along, you start to grasp the concepts it throws at you nearly 100 mph every few minutes.

The action and imagery were a lot of fun to watch and the film builds up to an open-ended climax that I wish was just resolved there rather than leaving it in suspense for a potential sequel. All in all, not a bad film, but it pales in comparison to Versus.