7.9/10
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Vengeance Is Mine (1979)

Fukushû suru wa ware ni ari (original title)
Not Rated | | Crime , Drama | 17 October 1979 (USA)
Vengeance Is Mine Poster
Chronological exploits of Iwao Enokizu, a murderous thief on the run.

Director:

Shôhei Imamura

Writers:

Masaru Baba (screenplay), Ryûzô Saki (novel) | 1 more credit »

Stars:

Ken Ogata, Rentarô Mikuni, Chôchô Miyako | See full cast & crew »
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ON DISC
21 wins & 6 nominations. See more awards »

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Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ken Ogata Ken Ogata ... Iwao Enokizu
Rentarô Mikuni Rentarô Mikuni ... Shizuo Enokizu
Chôchô Miyako Chôchô Miyako ... Kayo Enokizu
Mitsuko Baishô Mitsuko Baishô ... Kazuko Enokizu
Mayumi Ogawa Mayumi Ogawa ... Haru Asano
Nijiko Kiyokawa Nijiko Kiyokawa ... Hisano Asano
Taiji Tonoyama ... Tanejirô Shibata
Gorô Tarumi Gorô Tarumi ... Daihachi Baba
Moeko Ezawa Moeko Ezawa ... Chiyoko Hata
Kazuko Shirakawa Kazuko Shirakawa ... Sachiko Yoshizato
Furankî Sakai ... Inspector Kawai
Torahiko Hamada Torahiko Hamada ... Agent Yoshino
Yasuhisa Sonoda Yasuhisa Sonoda ... Inspector assistant Kuwata
Akira Hamada Akira Hamada ... Detective Ichikawa
Kazunaga Tsuji Kazunaga Tsuji ... Detective Kuchiishi
See full cast »
Edit

Storyline

Iwao Enokizu is a middle-aged man who has an unexplainable urge to commit insane and violent murders. Eventually he is chased by the police all over Japan, but somehow he always manages to escape. He meets a woman who runs a brothel. They love each other but how long can they be together? Written by Mattias Thuresson

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

father son relationship | serial killer | police | murder | skinny dipping | See All (28) »

Genres:

Crime | Drama

Certificate:

Not Rated | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
Edit

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese | English

Release Date:

17 October 1979 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Vengeance Is Mine See more »

Filming Locations:

Beppu, Kyushu, Japan See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Imamura Productions,Shôchiku Eiga See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The film is included on Roger Ebert's "Great Movies" list. See more »

Quotes

Shizuo Enokizu: You can only kill those who never harmed you.
See more »

Connections

Version of Fukushû suru wa ware ni ari (2007) See more »

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User Reviews

 
Personifies everything that is amazing about Japanese cinema
2 January 2005 | by fertilecelluloid – See all my reviews

Immamura Shohei, one of Japan's best directors, does not put a foot wrong in VENGEANCE IS MINE, one of the best films ever made.

This is a searing, raw, uncompromising study of a disturbed, callous, opportunistic killer, husband and son.

The film, running just over two hours, takes an almost doco-style approach to the crimes of its protagonist (played with chilling conviction by Ken Ogata) and takes great pains to examine the impact his behavior had on his mother, father and wife.

A flashback, which goes some way towards explaining how Ogata developed such a disdain for authority, is a masterstroke of cinematic brevity.

Although Immamura is known mostly for such brilliant work as THE PORNOGRAPHERS, BLACK RAIN and the excellent THE EEL, this is surely his crowning achievement, a film so rich and involving that it personifies everything that is so amazing about Japanese cinema, truly a cinema of the soul.
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