Exit 8

Directed by Genki Kawamura, Exit 8 follows a nameless man (Kazunari Ninomiya) as he finds himself trapped inside an endlessly looping corridor within Japan’s subway system. It’s an intriguing premise that is, at the outset, employed to promising (and somewhat creepy) effect by Kawamura, as the filmmaker, armed with his and Kentaro Hirase’s screenplay, does a solid job of initially establishing Ninomiya’s sympathetic figure and the mysterious scenario in which he finds himself – with the watchable vibe heightened by the puzzle-like atmosphere (ie one can’t help but participate in the protagonist’s efforts at finding a way out). It’s clear, then, that Exit 8 slowly-but-surely loses its grip on the viewer as it progresses into a distressingly repetitive (and increasingly tedious) midsection, and there’s little doubt, as well, that the deeply unsatisfying third act, which boasts as ludicrous and silly an explanation for the whole situation as one could possibly imagine, ensures that the picture fizzles out to a rather demonstrably degree – with the final result a half-baked endeavor that could only have worked as a short.

** out of ****