Rent Vengeance Is Mine (1979)
3.7 of 5 from 114 ratings
2h 20min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Unfolding through multiple flashbacks, Ogata delivers a career-defining performance as a day-labourer and smalltime con-artist who, after killing two of his co-workers, embarks on a psychopathic spree of rape and murder. Eluding the police and public, Japan's infamous "King of Criminals" passes himself off as a Kyoto University professor, only to become entangled with an innkeeper and her perverted mother....Five years in the making, Vengeance Is Mine transcends the limitations of run-of-the-mill criminal studies by presenting a portrait of a killer imbued with a poignant, tragic banality.
- Actors:
- Ken Ogata, Rentarô Mikuni, Chôchô Miyako, Mitsuko Baishô, Mayumi Ogawa, Nijiko Kiyokawa, Taiji Tonoyama, Gorô Tarumi, Moeko Ezawa, Kazuko Shirakawa, Furankî Sakai, Torahiko Hamada, Yasuhisa Sonoda, Akira Hamada, Kazunaga Tsuji, Kazuo Kitamura, Shôhei Hino, Toshie Negishi, Ryûzô Saki, Chôichirô Kawarasaki
- Directors:
- Shôhei Imamura
- Producers:
- Kazuo Inoue
- Writers:
- Masaru Baba, Ryûzô Saki
- Aka:
- Fukushû suru wa ware ni ari
- Studio:
- Eureka
- Genres:
- Drama
- Collections:
- Masters of Cinema, Top 10 Films of 1979
- Countries:
- Japan
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 26/07/2010
- Run Time:
- 140 minutes
- Languages:
- Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
- Subtitles:
- English
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.85:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- Audio commentary by noted critic and filmmaker Tony Rayns
- Video introduction by film director Alex Cox
- Original Japanese theatrical teaser and trailer
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Reviews (2) of Vengeance Is Mine
Superb! - Vengeance Is Mine review by CP Customer
From Shohei Imamura you have this tale based on true events of a murderous rampage. Even today killers in Japan seem able to blend into the landscape and avoid detection for long periods.
Here we see the upbringing of the killer, what sparks his lethal rage and the consequences of his spree. The ending is also masterful.
I really enjoyed the structure of the film and the snapshot of Japan during this period. Ken Ogata leads a series of fine performances here, yet he remains the true star. This is a must see whether you are a fan of Japanese cinema or not.
2 out of 4 members found this review helpful.
Stunningly good! - Vengeance Is Mine review by TE
Great film! Imamura's direction feels sure-footed throughout the sequences of flashbacks and transitions.
It is Ken Ogata's dynamic performance that draws us into the narrative, and once there we meet a wonderful range of memorable characters.
In true psychopathic fashion the visceral sex scenes run parallel to the magnetic energy of the murder scenes.
The exception to this is the tender illicit passion between the murderer's father and his daughter-in-law.
The dark underbelly of city life is brilliantly exposed, and the final imagery of the cremated bones that refuse to fall from sight is a true master stroke.
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.