Izo (2004)

An executed samurai takes an existential journey throughout time, space and eternity in search of bloody vengeance.

Director:

Takashi Miike

Writer:

Shigenori Takechi (screenplay)

Stars:

Kazuya Nakayama, Kaori Momoi, Ryûhei Matsuda

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Kazuya Nakayama	...	Okada Izo
Kaori Momoi
Ryûhei Matsuda	...	(as Ryuuhei Matsuda)
Ryôsuke Miki
Yûya Uchida
Masumi Okada
Hiroki Matsukata
Hiroshi Katsuno
Masato
Bob Sapp
Takeshi Kitano	...	(as 'Bîto' Takeshi)
Daijirô Harada
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Taisaku Akino
Chisato Amate
Takeshi Caesar

Storyline

We begin in 1865, when the Shogunate is on its last legs, but still capable of punishing its enemies. One is Izo (Kazuya Nakayama), an assassin in the service of Hanpeida (Ryosuke Miki), a Tosa lord and Imperial supporter. After killing dozens of the Shogun's men, Izo is captured and crucified. Instead of being extinguished, his rage propels him through the space-time continuum to present-day Tokyo, where he finds himself one with the city's homeless. Here Izo transforms himself into a new, improved killing machine, his entire soul still enraged by his treatment in his past life. His response to the powers-that-be, whose predecessors put him to death, is the sword.

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Plot Keywords:

samurai | city | assassin | sword | death | 

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese English

Release Date:

28 May 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Izo: The World Can Never Be Changed

Company Credits

Production Co:

KSS, Excellent Film, Izo Partners

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Version of Hitokiri (1969)

User Reviews

Good concept stretched to the limits of endurance

Wasted potential. Or rather, all the ingredients for a great experimental film were there but sadly the director got carried away and overdid it. Looking past the blood & gore I found the film Jungian really - an exploration of the id and ego, chaos and order - you name it. But this could have been achieved with 50 minutes less footage. As things are the film bogs down and becomes repetitive. Tedious in the end. The shock value wears thin, there's little more to say and the singing - after an hour or so I've come to dread the sound of the guitar - it ceased to be punctuation of the piece and became a right pain inflicted on the audience.

All in all, by all means see it, think about it - but only once the DVD comes out - you want to be able to fast forward through about 30%.