384 - Vengeance Is Mine (1979)
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Shohei Imamura\\u2019s study of a killer on the run and the family members and victims that he leaves in his wake is presented as a fact-based accounting of dates, names, and crimes. \\xa0At least, that\\u2019s what it seems to be at first glance. \\xa0Really the film sutures together a largely non-chronological sequence of flashbacks, obliquely phrased conversations, and both random and coldly-calculated murders that leaves the viewer perfectly unsure over the question of underlying psychological motive. \\xa0What trauma, mistreatment, spiritual failing, or mental disorder leads Iwao Enokizu (Ken Ogata) to his spree? \\xa0Regardless, the resultant view of Japanese society is sordid and bleak. \\xa0And one of us thinks this is awesome filmmaking. \\xa0And the other is left deeply upset by it. \\xa0But the conversation engendered by this one of our best.
If you\\u2019d like to watch ahead for next week\\u2019s film, we will be discussing and reviewing Claude Sautet\\u2019s Classe Tous Risques (1960).
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