1968·Thriller·1h 31m
7.1
★
Police detectives investigate the link between a serial killer's machinations and a teenage boy who committed suicide.
Directed by Tai Katō
suicide
sexual violence
rape of a male
serial killer
Trailer
IMDB
N/A
Where to Watch
Cast
Makoto Satō
Kawashima
Chieko Baisho
Haruko
Sanae Nakahara
Keiko Hashimoto
Oh Ranfan
Takako Yasuda
Kin Sugai
Misa Mori
Tatsuo Matsumura
Chief Detective Kasahara
Fujio Suga
Suzuki
Ushio Akashi
Manpuku Restaurant Owner
Atsushi Watanabe
Superintendent
Akira Ōizumi
Officer Kameoka
Yoshio Yoshida
Kiyoshi's Father
Keijirō Morozumi
Detective
Crew
Tai Katō
Director
Yoji Yamada
Writer
Tai Katō
Writer
Hajime Kaburagi
Original Music Composer
Popular Reviews
4 reviews
thomo
7.0★ · 11/10/23
"The cycle of divine punishment must be fulfilled. That's why I did it. That's all."
Interesting and intermittently brilliant take on the rape/revenge genre with a distinct hard-boiled pulp edge to it. An amalgamation of so many things that were happening in Japanese cinema at the time. The shockingly brutal opening sequence seems to set the stage for a Koji Wakamatsu style artsy pinku flick, but the story then veers into film noir territory more reminiscent of Kurosawa's 50s and early 60s detective thrillers while retaining a deliberate clinical coldness in line with Imamura's Intentions of Murder and Vengeance is Mine. All of this culminates in a nightmarish flashback sequence with the striking cinematography's contrast cranked to 11 that feels like it could have been pulled from Toshio Matsumoto, or Yoshishige Yoshida.
Somehow it all feels a bit thin, narratively, but I can't really find any faults with how it's constructed. It's surprising that the cinematographer Keiji Maruyama didn't have a more illustrious career given how beautifully composed every shot in this is and how deftly the film uses light and shadow.
Interesting and intermittently brilliant take on the rape/revenge genre with a distinct hard-boiled pulp edge to it. An amalgamation of so many things that were happening in Japanese cinema at the time. The shockingly brutal opening sequence seems to set the stage for a Koji Wakamatsu style artsy pinku flick, but the story then veers into film noir territory more reminiscent of Kurosawa's 50s and early 60s detective thrillers while retaining a deliberate clinical coldness in line with Imamura's Intentions of Murder and Vengeance is Mine. All of this culminates in a nightmarish flashback sequence with the striking cinematography's contrast cranked to 11 that feels like it could have been pulled from Toshio Matsumoto, or Yoshishige Yoshida.
Somehow it all feels a bit thin, narratively, but I can't really find any faults with how it's constructed. It's surprising that the cinematographer Keiji Maruyama didn't have a more illustrious career given how beautifully composed every shot in this is and how deftly the film uses light and shadow.
"The cycle of divine punishment must be fulfilled. That's why I did it. That's all."
Interesting and intermittently brilliant take on the rape/revenge genre with a distinct hard-boiled pulp edge to it. An amalgamation of so many things that were happening in Japanese cinema at the time. The shockingly brutal opening sequence seems to set the stage for a Koji Wakamatsu style artsy pinku flick, but the story then veers into film noir territory more reminiscent of Kurosawa's 50s and early 60s detective thrillers while retaining a deliberate clinical coldness in line with Imamura's Intentions of Murder and Vengeance is Mine. All of this culminates in a nightmarish flashback sequence with the striking cinematography's contrast cranked to 11 that feels like it could have been pulled from Toshio Matsumoto, or Yoshishige Yoshida.
Somehow it all feels a bit thin, narratively, but I can't really find any faults with how it's constructed. It's surprising that the cinematographer Keiji Maruyama didn't have a more illustrious career given how beautifully composed every shot in this is and how deftly the film uses light and shadow.
Interesting and intermittently brilliant take on the rape/revenge genre with a distinct hard-boiled pulp edge to it. An amalgamation of so many things that were happening in Japanese cinema at the time. The shockingly brutal opening sequence seems to set the stage for a Koji Wakamatsu style artsy pinku flick, but the story then veers into film noir territory more reminiscent of Kurosawa's 50s and early 60s detective thrillers while retaining a deliberate clinical coldness in line with Imamura's Intentions of Murder and Vengeance is Mine. All of this culminates in a nightmarish flashback sequence with the striking cinematography's contrast cranked to 11 that feels like it could have been pulled from Toshio Matsumoto, or Yoshishige Yoshida.
Somehow it all feels a bit thin, narratively, but I can't really find any faults with how it's constructed. It's surprising that the cinematographer Keiji Maruyama didn't have a more illustrious career given how beautifully composed every shot in this is and how deftly the film uses light and shadow.
Keith
10.0★ · 01/27/26
Garrett
8.2★ · 12/12/25
Carmen
10.0★ · 05/10/24