Vengeance is Mine

Shohei Imamura's 1979 classic is based on the true story of Iwao Enokizu's 78-day murderous crime spree during the early 1960s. A petty crook and day laborer, Iwao kills two of his coworkers before going on a cross-country rampage, incredibly evading capture by pretending to be a university professor, after which his entanglement with a beautiful innkeeper and her odd mother eventually leads to his downfall and capture. Imamura eschews linear storytelling, instead interweaving past and present into a near-phantasmagoric tapestry depicting Iwao's emotional wreckage from childhood through early adulthood and on to his lethal breaking point. The result is a challenging submersion into the off-kilter mind of Iwao, who is brilliantly played by Ken Ogata with an astonishing mix of charisma and barely concealed menace. Vengeance is Mine will be more than a little off-putting for some viewers (in one scene, after committing a murder, Iwao washes the blood from his hands by urinating over them), but fans of the late director's films (which include The Eel and Dr. Akagi) will definitely appreciate this red carpet Criterion Collection edition with DVD extras including excerpts from a Director's Guild of Japan video interview with Imamura, and a booklet featuring a 1994 interview with Imamura, as well as brief essays by the director, and an appreciation by film critic Michael Atkinson. Highly recommended. (P. Hall)[Blu-ray Review—Aug. 26, 2014, 2014—Criterion, 140 min., in Japanese w/English subtitles, not rated, $39.95—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1979's Vengeance is Mine features a fine transfer and an uncompressed monaural soundtrack. Extras include a 2005 audio commentary by critic Tony Rayns, excerpts from a 1999 interview with director Shohei Imamura (11 min.), trailers, and a booklet featuring an essay by critic Michael Atkinson, a 1994 interview with Imamura by filmmaker Toichi Nakata, and writings by Imamura. Bottom line: a welcome Blu-ray debut for this ‘70s Japanese classic.]