Izo (2004)

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 his 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.DVD Features:Available Subtitles: EnglishAvailable Audio Tracks: English (Unknown Format) Japanese (Unknown Format)Interview with director Takashi MiikeMaking of IzoSecrets of IzoOriginal trailersSystem Requirements:Running Time 128 MinsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE UPC: 631595052886 Manufacturer No: TSDVD-0528 Product Description

Miike's masterpiece

It's hard to be familiar with the movies of Takashi Miike. Despite seeing the majority of his films released in America (and even a few that have yet to be released here), it's hard not to feel like I've lost something in translation. I can appreciate the humor, the violence, the plotlines, etc but there are usually parts that confuse me, and his movies typically require repeated watchings. It's not that I'm particularly new to the films he creates or the films of Japanese directors in general ("Tetsuo" creator Tsukamoto is probably my favorite director); the point I'm trying to illustrate is that you have to WANT to appreciate his films. You have to work hard sometimes to get into what he's doing, because he often throws conventional plot points, "hooks" that grab you, and structure out the window. Even his most fairly straightforward films take many detours into the bizarre (see the tank randomly showing up in "Family" or the rocket launcher that comes out on nowhere in at least two of his films!)...

So, it's not surprising that this is one of the lesser-recieved of Miike's works. Using the "hook" of a sword fighting epic initially gets people interested in this film, but seeing no conventional plot or point to what is happening throws people off. This confuses me -- though I definitely didn't grasp everything upon the first viewing of this, I was still instantly amazed at what Miike has set up here: A journey through one man's tortured soul. Even if you don't feel like you understand everything that's happening, you still realize this film is genius -- maybe you just haven't figured out why yet.

Upon repeated viewings, however, I figured out why. As another reviewer mentioned, you have to kind of look in between the lines. This film is powerful, epic, emotional, and even darkly comedic. On the surface, this film is basically just a journey through someone's afterlife. However, beyond that, the film pours on flashy imagery, ultraviolence, and heavy emotion to an almost suffocating degree. In a lot of ways, this film reminds me of "El Topo" -- a movie that is disguised as a genre effort (El Topo being a Western, this being a samurai swordfighting film) that just uses the basic genre outlines and explores topics deeper than have ever been covered in the genre before.

I think those who overlook this film simply were expecting a straightforward swordfighting movie, which this film clearly isn't. It's way better than that, and it's honestly probably the best film to come out in the last decade. Don't write this off after one viewing, it REQUIRES repeated viewings. A masterpiece. February 11, 2008

I am a spirit seeking vengeance

Wow, another demented head trip by Miike. I'm not exactly sure what I just watched, but I know it was great.
You've got the fierce warrior Izo, who is brutally murdered and then his soul seeks some closure. Or rest. But his spirit is denied at the gates of both heaven and hell. So the soul wanders aimlessly, trapped within himself, feeling eternally restless and bitter. He then embarks on a ruthless rampage of death, destruction, and mayhem that is visually spectacular.
The plot linear structure is intentionally wavering and sporadic, maybe in an attempt to make you also feel lost. There are some amazing action sequences that reminded me of Matrix, Kill Bill, and Ichi the Killer. With this exploration of life after death comes a strong level of surrealism portrayed, which I thought was imaginative and entertaining. I also loved the showdown between Izo and big Bob Sapp, way too cool.
This film is generous with the blood and the swordplay, but it's abstract notions and problems with continuity might not appeal to many viewers. Oh well, may your soul burn in eternal damnation, haha. November 18, 2007

Transrational Masterpiece!

This film stands in a VERY select group of films that manage to achieve both a cinematic and a philosophical brilliance. This one goes right up there with 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Matrix trilogy, The Fountain, The Seventh Seal, The Holy Mountain, El Topo, and Jacob's Ladder. I felt very lucky to have seen such a beautiful film. It's a true artistic achievement. October 25, 2007

A movie full of sword fights that manages to be unbelievably boring

I almost watched this movie to its entirety when I finally just could not take being bored further. I was even fast-forwarding through the last 20 minutes in case anything interesting happened. Nothing did.

Afterwards, I couldn't stop thinking how awful this movie is. The entire movie is quite literally: sword fight, mumble some half-baked philosophies on life slowly and deliberately, repeat. I just can't stop thinking about how every aspect of this movie disappointed me. Even the sword fights are stupid and pointless. Every opponent of Izo seems to come from the school of "hold up my weapon over my head so that Izo can slash me apart" fighting. As if it wasn't easy enough already, Izo can't die, and isn't affected by what would be fatal wounds to anyone else. After the first few fights, one wonders what is the point? What makes it even more disappointing is that a lot of his opponents are really cool looking. At least they could have fair fights that would actually be entertaining.

The endless philosophical rantings between each fight become increasingly agitating as well. I think what they were actually saying could be thought-provoking if I actually cared, but I didn't because I could only think about how stupid this movie is. It was like watching a pretentious art film blabbing about the human condition, except that it was TWO HOURS LONG.

To sum it up, I was shocked to find that the place where I thought (hoped) the movie would be ending was still less than half-way through. The pointless fight scenes, the deliberateness of everything in between, and the endless cycle of repetition just destroys anything that's remotely likeable about the movie, and somehow what could be an intelligent movie with lots of fighting turns into the most boring movie ever. October 11, 2006

uh..........

I suggest watching the original version: Sword of Doom - which is amazing. A lot less acid is involved, and less cliche. Izo is a rent, at best. April 5, 2006

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