Nicolas Winding Refn's latest film presents a stylistically ambitious but narratively sparse thriller set in a futuristic metropolis, following a movie star navigating encounters with mysterious characters and a serial killer. The work assembles many of Refn's signature aesthetic homages—drawing from giallo cinema and science fiction—but prioritises visual provocation over substantive storytelling, resulting in a film that feels derived from the filmmaker's own past work rather than representing genuine artistic progression.

While compelling moments emerge in the film's yakuza subplot, the broader narrative struggles to generate tension or thematic coherence. The reviewer contends that Refn's deliberate artistic choices—including sparse character development and reductive commentary on the entertainment industry—ultimately privilege provocation at the expense of insight, disappointing viewers who valued his more groundbreaking earlier films.