| Izo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Takashi Miike |
| Written by | Shigenori Takechi |
| Produced by | Taizô Fukumaki Fujio Matsushima |
| Starring | Kazuya Nakayama Takeshi Kitano Bob Sapp |
Release date |
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Running time | 128 minutes |
| Languages | Japanese English |
IZO is a 2004 Japanese period horror film directed by Takashi Miike. The main character of the film is Izo Okada (1832–1865), the historical samurai and assassin in 19th-century Japan who was tortured and executed by beheading in Tosa.
Izo appeared previously in Hideo Gosha's Hitokiri (1969), then played by Shintaro Katsu. However, Miike's portrayal of the character (or rather his spirit) transcends reality (and time and space) and is more of a surrealist exposé of Izo's exceedingly bloody yet philosophical encounters in an afterlife heavy on symbolism, occasionally interrupted by stock footage of World War II accompanied by acid-folk singer Kazuki Tomokawa on guitar. Kazuya Nakayama plays Izo and the many characters he encounters on his journey include figures played by Takeshi Kitano and Bob Sapp.