Review of Vengeance Is Mine (1979) by Lori B — 03 Nov 2013

Vengeance is Mine is the second Imamura film I've seen, and it is the one that makes me want to watch more of this master director's films.

Most true crime movies try to dig into the reason for a serial killer's actions. Humans don't want to believe in the concept that some people might just be born that way. Vengeance is Mine doesn't bother. The few scenes from the killer's childhood seem are merely observations in the life cycle of the killer, examples of his deviant behavior.

While Imamura coldly observes the killer who is the subject of the film, the people who interact with the killer, mostly his victims, are actually much more interesting and sympathetic than the killer himself. It's clear that the world would be a better place if the killer was dead, but those who survive him find that they cannot escape him even after his death.