The Neighbor No. Thirteen forgoes the manic violence of the Korean revenge stunner "Oldboy" in favor of leisurely paced suspense with sudden bloody outbursts.
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Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
Though it's rarely dull, first-time feature director Yasuo Inoue has a better eye for intriguing and unusual imagery than dramatic staging, and he illustrates his points long before he runs out of un-endings.
Scores big in the first few minutes with its atmospheric lensing of the protag's literal separation into two distinct characters, but then settles into a standard psycho-killer payback drama.
Suffering its own split personality, The Neighbor No. Thirteen is an art house exploitation film neither arty nor exploitative enough.
40
Village VoiceBen Kenigsberg
Village VoiceBen Kenigsberg
Because the metaphysics driving it are so fuzzy, this is the rare horror film where even sludgy viscera elicit only yawns.
40
The Hollywood ReporterFrank Scheck
The Hollywood ReporterFrank Scheck
Has an impressive visual style that reveals its director's music-video experience. Unfortunately, that's about all it has going for it because its sluggish pacing and confusing story line will prevent it from appealing to all but the most rabid J-horror fans.