Review of Vengeance Is Mine (1979) by Edgar C — 09 Jul 2011

Whereas in conventional moviemaking psychological flashbacks, backgrounds, a non-linear storytelling and almost forgotten memoirs would help the attentive viewer to gather the puzzle pieces together and build the final image/meaning, Imamura smartly places them leaving unanswered questions and unclear motives. He attempts to create a Melville-like urban environment, but instead of being a random collection of scenes, the most intelligent thing he did with the movie was placing a central idea: trascendence has absolutely no relation with the earthly life, and what may be judged with earthly principles here, may not be judged equally in the afterlife (interpret that with the Divine Law, Heaven or whatever otherwordly ideal suits you). That's why the bones get caught in the sky, gravityless.

99/100.