(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“Follows a criminal who has a deformed hand grafted onto his body after losing an arm, only for the hand to take on a monstrous will of its own.”
In early October of 2024, Cleopatra Entertainment announced via Deadline that they had snatched up the North American rights to distribute The Beast Hand (2024) before it had grasped audiences by the throat (not literally) with its unveiling at the Sitges Fantastic Film Festival; and – quite frankly – who could blame them? Writer/director Coralie Fargeat had set the critical world ablaze with her much-heralded The Substance (2024) – a kinda/sorta comeback film for the underappreciated Demi Moore – at Cannes that year; so anything that even remotely took an honest stab into the world of Body Horror was considered a ‘safe bet.’ While I’m not complaining, I’ll also suggest that perhaps a bit of restraint could’ve been helpful.
Though Hand certainly points its spindly fingers in the proper direction to stand beside The Substance, it’s also a bit ambiguous (until fairly late in the picture) as to how and why such body transmogrification comes from and (more importantly) evolves. Mind you: there’s never any doubt as to those particulars when it comes to what the slowly-fading celebrity sells her soul for in The Substance, and a bit of exposition in the right place at the right time might’ve helped alleviate a bit of the confusion when our victim – Osamu Kogure (played by Takahiro Fukuya) – starts to, literally, sprout something equally macabre from where his all-new left hand emerges. The Japanese has always had a fascination with tentacle porn, so – ahem – maybe that accounts for why it was left a bit curious. Since I don’t share their enthusiasm for having snake-like tendrils wrapped about my junk, I sensed something might’ve been lost in translation here just a bit.
Osamu eeks out a near-homeless existence, jumping from one odd job to the next while holing up in what appears to be a condemned building on the outskirts of a big city. Eventually, an old criminal acquaintance of his shows up unexpectedly – Inui (Yota Kawase) – who also happens to be on-the-run for breaking out of incarceration and avoiding his parole officer. Now that they’ve teamed up once more, Osamu would like nothing better to tackle some profitable petty crime; and yet Inui won’t do anything until he rekindles his sexually-violent relationship with the young Koyuki (Misa Wada). Luckily, our lead knows right where she is – even though she’s changed her appearance via plastic surgery in order to avoid being found – and this opens the door to some pretty vicious sexual encounters that confirm Inui is no one to be trifled with.
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“Follows a criminal who has a deformed hand grafted onto his body after losing an arm, only for the hand to take on a monstrous will of its own.”
In early October of 2024, Cleopatra Entertainment announced via Deadline that they had snatched up the North American rights to distribute The Beast Hand (2024) before it had grasped audiences by the throat (not literally) with its unveiling at the Sitges Fantastic Film Festival; and – quite frankly – who could blame them? Writer/director Coralie Fargeat had set the critical world ablaze with her much-heralded The Substance (2024) – a kinda/sorta comeback film for the underappreciated Demi Moore – at Cannes that year; so anything that even remotely took an honest stab into the world of Body Horror was considered a ‘safe bet.’ While I’m not complaining, I’ll also suggest that perhaps a bit of restraint could’ve been helpful.
Though Hand certainly points its spindly fingers in the proper direction to stand beside The Substance, it’s also a bit ambiguous (until fairly late in the picture) as to how and why such body transmogrification comes from and (more importantly) evolves. Mind you: there’s never any doubt as to those particulars when it comes to what the slowly-fading celebrity sells her soul for in The Substance, and a bit of exposition in the right place at the right time might’ve helped alleviate a bit of the confusion when our victim – Osamu Kogure (played by Takahiro Fukuya) – starts to, literally, sprout something equally macabre from where his all-new left hand emerges. The Japanese has always had a fascination with tentacle porn, so – ahem – maybe that accounts for why it was left a bit curious. Since I don’t share their enthusiasm for having snake-like tendrils wrapped about my junk, I sensed something might’ve been lost in translation here just a bit.
Osamu eeks out a near-homeless existence, jumping from one odd job to the next while holing up in what appears to be a condemned building on the outskirts of a big city. Eventually, an old criminal acquaintance of his shows up unexpectedly – Inui (Yota Kawase) – who also happens to be on-the-run for breaking out of incarceration and avoiding his parole officer. Now that they’ve teamed up once more, Osamu would like nothing better to tackle some profitable petty crime; and yet Inui won’t do anything until he rekindles his sexually-violent relationship with the young Koyuki (Misa Wada). Luckily, our lead knows right where she is – even though she’s changed her appearance via plastic surgery in order to avoid being found – and this opens the door to some pretty vicious sexual encounters that confirm Inui is no one to be trifled with.
While Inui is away scouting for criminal opportunities that will give them the money they all seek, the captive Koyuki confesses her attraction for Osamu – we learn that they’ve had ‘relations’ before – and the two descend into a bit of a slugfest that blossoms into some aggressive lovemaking. Confiding in one another that perhaps they can score a big payday and eventually escape the clutches of Inui, they’re willing to risk just about anything for a chance at freedom. So when the gang leader returns with news of a factory payroll that’s ripe for the taking, they’re all too happy to join him in this quest … and, yes, this is where everything goes from bad to worse in the blink of an eye.
At the factory, Inui and Osamu find themselves cornered by the gang of hardened criminals that Inui had secretly learned of the forthcoming payroll from, and those bandits take the cash. Then – as a penance for trying to exploit their territory – they shoot Inui in the head. Another culprit produces a ninja blade, and he quickly hacks Osamu’s left arm off at the elbow in what he believes is a fitting punishment for a thief. The crooks leave our main character for dead, but he’s discovered by Koyuki. The lady hauls him to an underworld doctor who, interestingly enough, might just have a ‘cure’ for Osamu’s injury.
Essentially, this is the set-up for the remainder of the film that follows, a technique not all that different from other conventional Body Horrors (if there is such a thing). The problem so far as I see it is that typically such stories are meant to expand upon a central character’s shortcomings or disappointments with himself (or herself) or the world-at-large. For example, Elisabeth Sparkle (from the aforementioned The Substance) emotionally struggles with the reality that an older and less-flattering celebrity – what she’s aging into – has few (if any) chances to monopolize the cultural spotlight; and it’s this set of circumstances that compel her to investigate that film’s fountain of youth. The audience is brought on this journey, and they’re given a front-row-seat to the litany of consequences both the young and old Sparkle endure.
Sadly, it’s that same connective tissue that’s missing from the center of The Beast Hand.
As best as can explain, the Hand itself takes charge of Osamu’s conscious self at times when he’s taxed emotionally, physically, or psychologically. Not unlike how Bruce Banner’s anger brings out The Incredible Hulk in him, our petty thief unlocks this ultimate primal entity inside whenever the routine elements of his life now conspire against him. Those same hangups before this new appendage is attached? Ah, they just pinned a good man down. Now that he’s been genetically upgraded with such cryptic medicine, he’s a nearly unstoppable force, one which even appears immortal at times.
While it would be easy to attribute Osamu’s fate – this beastly arm has a mind, hunger, and lethality all of its own – to his actively living a life of crime, the same could be said had he not dabbled in such fringe science and instead learned to get by without the creepy appendage in the first place. Granted, the comeuppance suffered would’ve been far more conventional, but audiences could’ve received much of the same narrative message had this film learned more toward Drama than it did Horror. Arguably, Fukuya and Wada have the chops to handle that journey – they do so here but take second seat to some low-rent special effects – and not a great deal would’ve been lost.
At the factory, Inui and Osamu find themselves cornered by the gang of hardened criminals that Inui had secretly learned of the forthcoming payroll from, and those bandits take the cash. Then – as a penance for trying to exploit their territory – they shoot Inui in the head. Another culprit produces a ninja blade, and he quickly hacks Osamu’s left arm off at the elbow in what he believes is a fitting punishment for a thief. The crooks leave our main character for dead, but he’s discovered by Koyuki. The lady hauls him to an underworld doctor who, interestingly enough, might just have a ‘cure’ for Osamu’s injury.
Essentially, this is the set-up for the remainder of the film that follows, a technique not all that different from other conventional Body Horrors (if there is such a thing). The problem so far as I see it is that typically such stories are meant to expand upon a central character’s shortcomings or disappointments with himself (or herself) or the world-at-large. For example, Elisabeth Sparkle (from the aforementioned The Substance) emotionally struggles with the reality that an older and less-flattering celebrity – what she’s aging into – has few (if any) chances to monopolize the cultural spotlight; and it’s this set of circumstances that compel her to investigate that film’s fountain of youth. The audience is brought on this journey, and they’re given a front-row-seat to the litany of consequences both the young and old Sparkle endure.
Sadly, it’s that same connective tissue that’s missing from the center of The Beast Hand.
As best as can explain, the Hand itself takes charge of Osamu’s conscious self at times when he’s taxed emotionally, physically, or psychologically. Not unlike how Bruce Banner’s anger brings out The Incredible Hulk in him, our petty thief unlocks this ultimate primal entity inside whenever the routine elements of his life now conspire against him. Those same hangups before this new appendage is attached? Ah, they just pinned a good man down. Now that he’s been genetically upgraded with such cryptic medicine, he’s a nearly unstoppable force, one which even appears immortal at times.
While it would be easy to attribute Osamu’s fate – this beastly arm has a mind, hunger, and lethality all of its own – to his actively living a life of crime, the same could be said had he not dabbled in such fringe science and instead learned to get by without the creepy appendage in the first place. Granted, the comeuppance suffered would’ve been far more conventional, but audiences could’ve received much of the same narrative message had this film learned more toward Drama than it did Horror. Arguably, Fukuya and Wada have the chops to handle that journey – they do so here but take second seat to some low-rent special effects – and not a great deal would’ve been lost.
In fact, I’d insist that the only thing that makes perfect sense in the examination of these murky lives is the fact that they’re both willing and able to set aside the imperfections of the world outside and, simply, remain a pair. Certainly, they seem thrown together more out of expediency’s sake than they do true love; and yet they’ve found a way to keep struggling on behalf of their union as opposed to both throwing in the towel. Yes, it would’ve been a different movie; but as an indie-style Drama it could’ve covered almost everything as set in motion by Yasunori Kasuga’s script and Taichiro Natsume’s direction.
Of course, that isn’t the film delivered.
Instead, our heroes (???) find themselves hunted by a renegade cop whose gangland boss wants that devilish hand back because it can be used for much nastier business. As such, Hand evolves into a race-against-time to avoid capture, something that I think audiences knew damn well was going to happen once it was introduced into the plot. Then it tries to pivot again – albeit briefly – into a diatribe about the need to extract (bloody) vengeance, a turn that also feels all-too-obvious. The fact that Koyuki’s pregnancy gets shortchanged with little more than an after-the-credits sequence shows either no one was really interested in exploring anything remotely original here or the available budget didn’t make a real outcome fiscally possible.
The Beast Hand was produced by Takahiro Fukuya. DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been coordinated by the fine folks at Cleopatra Entertainment (via MVD Visual Entertainment Group). As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I can still confirm that this one has all of the looks and sounds of independent cinema, meaning that the effects and splatterwork involved with this story are a bit underwhelming but serviceable. Lastly, if you’re looking for Special Features? Well, there are some promotional bits related to the theatrical trailers, but that’s all they provided. A bit … shorthanded … if you ask me.
Mildly Recommended.
Despite some decidedly low budget looks to it, The Beast Hand might still succeed if it’s embraced by those who like me appreciate indie flicks … because that’s clearly what this is. It lacks the big bucks that could’ve made the Hand itself a bit more ominous and maybe even a bit of the Horror-fueled sequences a bit more frenetic. What there is works but only if you’re willing to suspend your disbelief and you’re willing to stick with the characters. I did care about them through the long and the short of it all, and that has to count for something.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Cleopatra Entertainment (via MVD Visual Entertainment Group) provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of The Beast Hand (2024) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
Of course, that isn’t the film delivered.
Instead, our heroes (???) find themselves hunted by a renegade cop whose gangland boss wants that devilish hand back because it can be used for much nastier business. As such, Hand evolves into a race-against-time to avoid capture, something that I think audiences knew damn well was going to happen once it was introduced into the plot. Then it tries to pivot again – albeit briefly – into a diatribe about the need to extract (bloody) vengeance, a turn that also feels all-too-obvious. The fact that Koyuki’s pregnancy gets shortchanged with little more than an after-the-credits sequence shows either no one was really interested in exploring anything remotely original here or the available budget didn’t make a real outcome fiscally possible.
The Beast Hand was produced by Takahiro Fukuya. DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been coordinated by the fine folks at Cleopatra Entertainment (via MVD Visual Entertainment Group). As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I can still confirm that this one has all of the looks and sounds of independent cinema, meaning that the effects and splatterwork involved with this story are a bit underwhelming but serviceable. Lastly, if you’re looking for Special Features? Well, there are some promotional bits related to the theatrical trailers, but that’s all they provided. A bit … shorthanded … if you ask me.
Mildly Recommended.
Despite some decidedly low budget looks to it, The Beast Hand might still succeed if it’s embraced by those who like me appreciate indie flicks … because that’s clearly what this is. It lacks the big bucks that could’ve made the Hand itself a bit more ominous and maybe even a bit of the Horror-fueled sequences a bit more frenetic. What there is works but only if you’re willing to suspend your disbelief and you’re willing to stick with the characters. I did care about them through the long and the short of it all, and that has to count for something.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Cleopatra Entertainment (via MVD Visual Entertainment Group) provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of The Beast Hand (2024) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
RSS Feed