Izo
| Izo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Takashi Miike |
| Produced by |
Taizô Fukumaki Fujio Matsushima |
| Written by | Shigenori Takechi |
| Starring |
Kazuya Nakayama Takeshi Kitano Bob Sapp |
Release dates | 21 August 2004 (Japan) |
Running time | 128 min. |
| Language |
Japanese English |
IZO is a 2004 Japanese film, directed by Takashi Miike. The main character of the film is Izo Okada (1832–1865), the historical samurai and assassin in 19th century Japan who was tortured and executed by beheading in Tosa.
Izo appeared previously in Hideo Gosha's Hitokiri (1969), then played by Shintaro Katsu. However, Miike's portrayal of the character (or rather his spirit) transcends reality (and time and space) and is more of a surrealist exposé of Izo's exceedingly bloody yet philosophical encounters in an afterlife heavy on symbolism, occasionally interrupted by stock footage of World War II accompanied by acid-folk singer Kazuki Tomokawa on guitar. Kazuya Nakayama plays Izo and the many characters he encounters on his journey include figures played by Takeshi Kitano and Bob Sapp.
Cast
- Kazuya Nakayama - Okada Izo
- Kaori Momoi
- Ryuhei Matsuda
- Ryôsuke Miki
- Yuya Uchida
- Masumi Okada
- Hiroki Matsukata
- Hiroshi Katsuno
- Masato
- Bob Sapp
- Takeshi Caesar
- Takeshi Kitano
- Daijiro Harada
- Renji Ishibashi
- Mickey Curtis
- Kazuki Tomokawa
- Hiroyuki Nagato
- Susumu Terajima
- Ken Ogata
Awards
Izo was awarded the best Special Effects prize at the Catalonian International Film Festival.[1]
External links
- Izo at the Internet Movie Database
- ＩＺＯ (in Japanese). Japanese Movie Database. Retrieved 2007-07-21.
Reviews
- dinaMiike - review and interpretation
- Cultflicks - review
- d+kaz
- Midnight Eye
- Martin Tsai (reprinted from WestEnder)
- Nippon Cinema
See also
- Hitokiri at the Internet Movie Database