A gem in terms of visuals

Rating: 8/10 (22 January 2019)

In a city filled with corruption, we follow a couple of stories which present some impressive characters and their acts as they try to raise and overcome their condition in order to reach a higher purpose.
It's an unique movie which has a very interesting artistic direction. Everything is presented in a cartoonish or comic-book-ish black and white with a couple of colors like a stringent red or yellow being inserted from time to time for a different contrast. Visually speaking, this one looks spectacular. I really enjoyed and I also appreciate the way things have gone in this department.
In terms of plot, things aren't so spectacular. It's a great idea to present multiple sub-stories which might even intertwine at some point but I was left the feeling that it could have been a bit better. Its characters are good, quite well thought and presented, each with their own special traits. They do a good job in maintaining the suspense and thrill while also providing a good time through the exaggerated killings and fighting scenes in which they appear, but I can't quite escape the predictability and the overall feeling of superficiality. Everything gets sorted quite easy so you don't get feel something truly dramatic, especially when you tend to expect it to go in a way or another. You do get a couple of surprises along the way though, so it doesn't follow the same tone every single time, but still... Don't get me wrong, it's not bad; even far from it. I was just left a bit disappointed by this part of the film as it isn't on par with the visuals which were simply impressive.
The cast is a big plus for this movie, almost every single actor doing a very good job in impersonating its character, thus making them credible and even likable. The dialog is ok. Nothing groundbreaking but it's good enough to tie it all up. Another plus here would be the way each character presents its situation, its state and even the events which happened.
It's a movie which left me with some mixed feelings. It had a great presentation, a wonderful visual part, very well thought and implemented, a very good cast but with a plot which wasn't on par with the other parts. I know that you might be taken away by its action sequences, by its exaggerations or by its visuals, but for me the plot is by far the most important. Thus, you have to have an equally impressive plot in order to obtain a flawless movie. It a good plot, but far from impressive.