Izo (2004)

Izo (2004). 2h 8m | Not Rated

“IZO (4+ outta 5 stars) Well, this movie gets only 2 kinds of ratings… either really low or really high. Thereu0026#39;s no way around it… you will have to see it for yourself to figure out which it deserves. I found the movie a bit confounding at first… but it definitely makes more sense after a second and third viewing. There really isnu0026#39;t much of a plot. Izo, a dead warrior, is flung arbitrarily through time. He kills everyone he comes into contact with… good, bad, he makes no distinctions. The movie is director Takashi Miikeu0026#39;s attempt at some kind of philosophical dissertation on violence and religion. Pretentious? Well, of course! When you get right down to it, ALL philosophy is pretentious! But, is the movie entertaining? Yes. Does it provoke thought? Yes. (Even if most peopleu0026#39;s thoughts will be along the lines of u0026quot;What the f*** is going on???u0026quot;) Imaginatively-staged action sequences are piled on non-stop, one after the other. Occasionally the action stops for some rousing acoustic guitar and wild folk-singing from Kazuki Tomakawa… who will either have you covering your ears or desperately searching for his records online. Extremely violent movie, very powerful at times … similar in style to Jodorowskyu0026#39;s u0026quot;El Topou0026quot;. If you think you will like this movie based on the descriptions you read, you probably will. If you think it sounds like boring twaddle… well, you better go watch something else.”