Overview
- The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on Wednesday, Sept. 16, and multiple first‑look reviews published that day described the reception as predominantly negative.
- Critics commonly faulted the film’s plotting and pacing, saying many subplots are introduced without resolution and the story feels overstuffed and meandering.
- Lily James’s turn as an FBI agent drew particular criticism for miscasting and an affected accent, while WWE star Liv Morgan’s performance was singled out by several reviewers as a provocative highlight.
- Coverage notes that Miike’s movie includes grisly crime elements and two intertwined serial‑killer strands, but many critics found the director’s notorious excesses subdued and the film less compelling than prior franchise entries.
- NEON remains slated to release Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo in the United States later this year, and producers led by Sam Pressman are positioning the film as the first installment in a broader Bad Lieutenant initiative dedicated to Jeremy Thomas.