Synopsis: The film starts out with Izo, a notorious assassin, being executed in ancient Japan. What follows is Izo’s punishment in the afterlife – he is doomed to bounce (literally) through time and space, killing anybody he encounters. And that’s pretty much the extent of the plot, Izo killing lots of people.
My take: Even hardcore Takashi Miike fans have mixed feelings about this one. Watching Izo kill people is fun for a while, but gets tiring and tedious after 2 hours. This is often described as the “false plot” because its not what the movie is actually about, even though it takes up the majority of the film. Miike tries to infuse deeper meaning into the movie’s true plot with reflections on redemption, human nature, and criticism of Japan’s violent history (especially WWII), but sometimes this comes across as pretentious. There are some really good analyses floating around on the internet, if you really care by the time you reach the end of the movie. Some points for creativity though – all the trademark Miike film-making is here.
The Rundown: I count 123 on-screen deaths (yes, I counted them all), but there is room for philosophical discussion here – do some of the dead count twice if Izo kills them once in the world of the living and then a second time in the spirit world? Does Izo killing a spiritual representation of himself count?
Best death: So many to choose from…I’d have to say Izo’s execution at the beginning was my favorite, he gets crucified and run through with spears and wets himself.
Favorite moment: The end of the movie, because it really was too long. And also because it was cool watching “Mother Earth” give birth to a fully grown adult Izo.
2 out of 4 Zombie Faces
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