Vengeance Is Mine

Based on true events, Imamura paints the portrait of a pathological killer who managed to elude the police for a very long time through lies and deception. Imamura doesn't immediately seek an explanation for the protagonist's animalistic behavior, but the images are so potent and compelling that the viewer becomes intensely involved in the cruel odyssey across the entire Japanese archipelago. As is often the case in the universe of the Japanese master, sex and death are intimately intertwined, and the boundary between the animal and the human is revealed to be razor-thin. The fragmented and erratic storytelling style, the merciless rhythm bursting with vitality, and the restless compositions of the images give the viewer a sense of controlled chaos. It's as if we are locked inside the mind of this astonishing psychopath ourselves.

"This icily precise, true account of the life of a mass murderer makes every other film on the In Cold Blood theme look like child’s play. The remarkable objectivity, combined with the formal beauty and its refusal to explain or condemn the killer, makes it a devastating experience." - Cinematheque Ontario