Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Breakneck
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Dense
- Violence
- Graphic
- visceral
- surreal
- oppressive
- cult movie night
- late night viewing
What critics said
Critics generally regard the film as an audacious but excessively chaotic and violent experiment in historical fantasy and political symbolism.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Izo's execution-era rage persists after his passage from 1865 into contemporary Tokyo, where he attacks successors to the powers that condemned him.
The story moves from shogunate assassination and crucifixion to homeless life, modern institutions, and fantastical space-time transit.
Izo's transformation into a killing machine is expressed through repeated sword attacks, murder, and beheading imagery.
Izo directs his sword toward the contemporary powers whose predecessors enacted his execution.
Films like Izo, and why
The Warrior's Way
Shares a time-traveling samurai premise and confrontational fusion of historical action with modern settings.
13 Assassins
Combines samurai violence, stylized fantasy, and Takashi Miike's taste for extreme genre collisions.
Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai
Uses historical Japanese swordplay and surreal, transgressive genre filmmaking to explore revenge and power.
Movie Details
- Director
- Takashi Miike
- Release Date
- 2004-09-07
- Runtime
- 128 min
- Rating
- 6.0 / 10 (106)
Cast
- Kazuya Nakayama
- Kaori Momoi
- Ryuhei Matsuda
- Hiroki Matsukata
- Ryôsuke Miki
- Masumi Okada
- Hiroshi Katsuno
- Masato
- Bob Sapp
- Takeshi Kitano
Common questions
- What is Izo about?
- A crucified samurai assassin erupts into modern Tokyo, turning centuries-old rage into a surreal campaign against authority.
- What is Izo like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Izo as breakneck, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as dense.
- Is Izo violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Izo as graphic.
- What did critics think of Izo?
- Critics generally regard the film as an audacious but excessively chaotic and violent experiment in historical fantasy and political symbolism.
- Which films are like Izo?
- Films with a similar feel include The Warrior's Way, 13 Assassins, and Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai.
- How long is Izo?
- Izo runs 128 minutes.
