Geez, where to start. This is such a whirlwind of a movie that any attempt to relegate it into one all-emcompassing category would prove itself futile, and would only serve to belittle this cinematic achievement. An adaptation of Ryuzo Saki's novel of the same name, which in turn was based on the life of Japanese serial-killer/fraudster Akira Nishiguchi, Vengeance begins with the interrogation of Nishiguchi-like figure Iwao Enokizu (Ken Ogata), which sets up the film's flashback structure that takes us back into Enokizu's past. While mainly focused on the 75 days before being arrested, beginning with a profit-motivated bloody double-homicide, the film attempts to shed light on Enokizu's character through exposure of his family ties and various relationships. Actually, it is pretty easy to forget that one is watching a film about a serial killer as explicit violence is essentially limited to the double-murder already mentioned, which takes place near the film's beginning. The other victims are kept fairly in the background as Imamura focuses his attention on Enokizu's treatment of people in his entourage, from his two-timing father and wife, to his relationship with a brothel manager before he gets arrested. The juxtaposition of sex and misery is prevalent as the former is never presented in a sensual or erotic way, possessing instead a chore-like quality women must adhere to; a mechanical commodity that is often taken forcefully and seldom pleasantly. Like in Imamura's The Pornographers (1966), beautifully-crafted composition and precise camera work are used to offer a world that seems intent on creating discomfort in the viewer, the result of which is a resounding success.
Imamura is interesting because his characters are obsessed, perverted and bizarre, and generally not the type of people you find in Kurosawa, Mizoguchi, Ozu, etc.
ReplyDeleteIf you can, try and see Profound Desire of the Gods. Of Imamura's many great films, I think it's the greatest.