Review of Vengeance Is Mine (1979) by Adam C — 25 Apr 2011

This is a searing, raw, uncompromising study of a disturbed, callous, opportunistic Japanese serial killer called Enokizu Iwao and it's based on a true story. Ken Ogata gives a truly chilling and convincing portrayal of a man with no conscience, at the same time giving his character great depth and complexity.

What is most alarming about Ogata's character is that he has no conscience at all about his murders. It is just his nature to kill. Does he have such hatred for life that he is killing unoffending passers-by just to be hanged by the state? It's hard to describe a movie about a serial killer as showing a sense of taste but this one does.

When Iwao forms a bond with an elderly woman whom he considers his "prison buddy" because she's been in jail, he decides to strangle her. When she walks unwittingly into a darkened room, we see him enter behind her with a rope.

And that's it. Cut. And on to the next scene. Overall this is an untraditional violent, sensous and vastly entertaining movie for the serious filmgoer and it does not disappoint.