''IZO'' is a 2004

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese film directed by Takashi Miike. The main character of the film is

Izo Okada ''IZO'' is a 2004 Japanese 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 p ...

(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 Robert Malcolm Sapp (born September 22, 1973) is an American mixed martial artist, kickboxer, professional wrestler, actor, and former American football player. He is currently under contract with Rizin Fighting Federation. Sapp has a combine ...

Cast

* Kazuya Nakayama - Okada Izo * Kaori Momoi - * Ryuhei Matsuda - * Ryôsuke Miki - Hampeita Takechi * Yuya Uchida - Spirit * Masumi Okada - Politician * Hiroki Matsukata - *

Hiroshi Katsuno is a Japanese actor.　He graduated from Aoyama Gakuin University. Katsuno's debut was as a detective Texas in the television series Taiyō ni Hoero! in 1974 and he won great popularity through the role. The episode his character Texas was killed ...

- Samurai * Masato - Samurai *

- Monk *

Takeshi Caesar (born August 17, 1955), better known by his ring name , is a Japanese actor, retired kickboxer and the founder of shoot boxing.http://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/2649221/ Career Murata started competing in kickboxing at age of 16, bei ...

- Samurai * Takeshi Kitano - The Prime Minister * Daijiro Harada - Judge * Renji Ishibashi - Samurai * Mickey Curtis - Monk * Kazuki Tomokawa - * Taisaku Akino * Hiroyuki Nagato - Elder *

Susumu Terajima is a Japanese actor. Though he has played a wide range of characters, he is perhaps best known for his portrayal of ''yakuza'' figures, most notably in the films of Takeshi Kitano. Terajima made his acting debut in 1986's ''A Homansu''. He ...

- *

Saburō Shinoda is a Japanese actor who has played roles in films and television dramas. He signed with Daiei film and made his film debut with ''Gan'' in 1966. He is famous for playing the role of Kotaro Higashi in ''Ultraman Taro''. He is the only original U ...

* Ken Ogata - * Joe Yamanaka -

Awards

''Izo'' was awarded the best Special Effects prize at the

Sitges Film Festival The Sitges Film Festival ( ca, Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalunya, links=no) is an annual film festival held in Sitges, Spain, specialized in fantasy and horror films, of which it is considered one of the world's foremost in ...

(Spanish international festival specializing in fantasy and horror films).

External links

* * Reviews
dinaMiike – review and interpretationd+kazMidnight EyeNippon Cinema
See also *

References

2004 films 2000s action films 2004 fantasy films Films directed by Takashi Miike Films set in the 19th century 2000s Japanese-language films Japanese action films Samurai films 2000s Japanese films {{2000s-Japan-film-stub