MUBI

a different breed of serial killer sub-genre,.and i tell you what,.this is on par, if not better, with such newer serial killer drama such as Silence Of The Lambs, Se7en, or Memories Of Murder.

Things that i like the most from this film is how Imamura depicted the character of Iwao Enokizu, a serial killer that has killed 6 peoples and on the run,.instead of showing the psychological aspect of him, Imamura looks like just trying to tell that this man is born that way,his character is given. a monster unleashed in this flawed world .reminds me a lot with the Joker in the The Dark Knight ( The character, not the acting).

The story structure also very effective, that even in the long 140 minutes, the film didn’t feel too long. The flashback played very wonderfully and nicely fit.

So overall,i was in complete surprise with this Imamura masterpiece. This is a brilliant, and a little bit,overlooked crime/serial killer film.,highly recommended !

Just watched this for the first time tonight, here`s my mini review:

That we aren`t dealing with a straighforward Hollywood type serial killer film here is clear from the first scene. The starts with the police escorte of the already arrested lead character Iwao Enokizu (a fenomenal role of Ken Ogata) to the police station and we meet him while he`s, sitting in between two police officers, joyfully (almost freakishly and without any care) whisteling a tune. Even the officers are annoyed by it.
From that moment on we are in the world of the maniac serial killer (based on true events) and get to know him through a series of flashbacks. Director Imamura mixes up these flashbacks like it`s nothing and throws us back and forth in time, from the present to the starting of the killings and even to his childhood of Enokizu.
As a viewer you have to keep your attention to it, you don`t get everthing spread out for you. Wich is a relief sometimes, concidering the films you get to see these days.

The style of the film is a mix of film and documentary, wich isn`t a surprise because Imamura made a living on making documentaries for years. Next to the fact that the story is based on actual facts, the documentary feel gives also a sense of realism to the film.
The film is visually beautiful and contains some scenes that will stay with you for a long time. At least they`ll do with me as they kept replaying in mind all day long.
As said, the acting is excellent, with the most of the credit obviously going to Ogata in the leading part. He gives a brilliant performance as the serial killer, you believe him every second he`s on the screen.

This probably is typically a film that gets better as you watch it over and over, something that I surely intend to do.
For now I really enjoyed the first film of Imamura I saw. I`m already looking forward to the 3 disc set of his films that Criterion is gonna release this may.

8,0/10

Imagine this movie told in two distinct halves, the first half centered around his relationship with Haru, the second dealing with the relationship with his family. I think the film would have been stronger by dealing with these two segments that dominate the story without having them run over each other as they do in the finished picture. The movie touched me most when it allowed its “Ozu-gone-off-the-deep-end” portrayal of interpersonal dynamics resonate within contained environments.

There are movies I come across sometimes that are expertly done in every way and yet leave me unsatisfied and cold. Sure there are moments of this film I’ll never forget but there’s something about this kind of film that I don’t like. It happened with “Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer”. It can be flawlessly made and acted and all yet when it comes down to it the subject matter has a soul that I want nothing to do with. Looking straight into the heart of darkness isn’t my thing—- it’s ineffective—- there’s only so much real life evil that can stir concern in me.

And if what they, these real life artists of brutality, really want to give me horror then give it to me with style, a term that covers story as well as visuals. This docudrama stuff leaves me stiff sometimes. In the end, I ‘enjoyed’ the movie, there are scenes that raise hairs, no doubt. (I saw the influence this flick made on “Catch Me If You Can” oddly enough, weird.)