FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

VeteranLight I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Steineded How sad is this?

Spoonatects Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

Jqn_Hgar Izo is a recently killed warrior who wanders through time and space killing everybody in his way to find "divine retribution", silly plot huh? Well need I to remind you that this is a Miike film so get comfort in the fact that this is just the tip of the iceberg. I read a lot of user reviews on different websites that were mostly negative, accusing Miike of being a hack and that he doesn't even know what he's doing, i don't blame those people since i think in the end it's their point of view but I think they are wrong about this movie, there's more to it than just what you see, it's full of symbolism especially religious symbolism, the opening for example finds our protagonist a Samurai called Izo being crucified and then stabbed in the chest with a spear just like what they did to Jesus only more Miikesque, then he is somehow reborn in the shape of an undead killing machine, believe me this film is ruthless Izo kills almost everyone in his way while he's on the look for the organization that created him which is a metaphor for god if i'm correct but it could also be the Devil because i went out from this film with three interpretations 1) Izo is looking to kill god because he felt that despite him carrying the sins of the world he died a painful brutal death so he felt betrayed. 2) Izo is looking to kill the devil because he felt that he is responsible for the sins of the world hence Izo's Death. 3) (spoiler alert) the pretty boy Izo confronts in the end is both God and the Devil. This is only my interpretation of the film and i'm sure there's more into it than just this. Miike is in top form in this film ( I always thought he's one of the best working directors working today even though he admitted that he hates his job I still think he's doing a marvelous job) there's some really breathtaking action sequences here which is a trademark in Miike films, but what interested me the most is the "Tableaux" shown through the film, there's some very beautiful and creative imagery that only a genius like Miike can cone up with. This is a very good effort from Miike, this is his most experimental film (he had his share of those) absurd but at the same time very deep and thought provoking, this is a true Cult Classic and a must see for movie buffs, I guess Sion Sono's Love Exposure was a response to Miike's Izo in away but you never know, some themes are represented in both films but Love Exposure had a beautiful love story while Izo is an in-humanistic work of art.

rbenton-92154 This is without a doubt the worst film I've ever seen. No coherent plot whatsoever. I watched it twice consecutively because it was so infuriating that I didn't get any sense of enjoyment or understanding of it at all on the first watching. Sadly, the second viewing only made me even more upset at how horrible this movie is. I eventually lent it to someone else who said they couldn't sit through it because it was too terrible, and they physically destroyed the disc. I shook their hand, and we didn't speak of it again. Here I am, 12 years later, writing a review for this movie as the worst thing I've ever seen because in my 34 years on this earth, nothing is as memorably horrible as this. 0/10

moneenerd After seeing at least 20 movies in his filmography, this is by far and wide the worst Miike film I've yet to see.Great premise, but the execution is all wrong.A samurai is crucified on a cross in feudal Japan, and spends the remainder of his afterlife travelling through space and time at random, hacking and slicing away pretty much everyone in sight. While there are certainly those characters who might represent the ills of modern Japanese society (particularly religion and big business), some of the violence is just downright incomprehensible, including the slaying of innocent children and the rape of mother earth (seriously). I had no idea what Izo was supposed to represent, nor half of the villains he encounters, and, as a reasonably intelligent art-house film fanatic, it absolutely infuriates me that I had to come online to figure all this meaningless and half-assed symbolism out.I get it Miike; you hate religion, technology, government, law, major corporations (like the ones you make movies for... ahem), and women. You love to get your audience talking, and you certainly love making critics think you are a thematic genius even when everything you do is lazy (given, he does make about 5-6 films a year) and pushing them to find hidden meanings behind things where there are none (example: all the ranting and raving about AUDITION being a feminist film). But by the looks of IMDb and RT ratings of IZO, I think this 2 hour mind-f*ck was the straw that broke the camel's back.Bad CGI, bad fight choreography, bad dialogue, bad acting. Sure, it's an "art" film, and so those things should be secondary to theme, plot, and message, but when 90% of the film is made up of sword fighting, you could at least try a little harder to wow us.This should be paired up with Takeshi Kitano's movie TAKESHI'S (ironice, since Kitano is in this movie), for they are both the most over-indulgent films by otherwise incredible talents in Japan cinema. File this under I AM A F*CKING GENIUS AND THE AUDIENCE WILL EAT UP ANYTHING I RELEASE EVEN IF IT'S JUNK.On a side note: I am still stoked for your 13 ASSASSINS remake!

sc8031 This movie is kinda annoying to sit through. There isn't really a plot, so much as a theme. The title character Izo abstractly walks through time and space and movie sets propelled by his hatred at the unfair and seemingly purposeless hierarchy of the universe. There are funny and interesting moments (and social commentaries) but it's too long and meandering!I am kinda disappointed here. Izo presents a lot of cool ideas and premises. I'm pretty sure it's based on a Japanese work of fiction and that there is some older Japanese movie about the story of Izo before his crucifixion. But in making this incarnation of the story so abstract, Miike leaves the viewer kinda bored and frustrated. I understand that this is some "Pierrot Le Fou" type of flick, where the viewer is almost "interacting" with the movie, but I've never been a fan of that stuff. I kept feeling like Miike was laughing at me for watching his film.And indeed, many of the actors are cast as novelties to be ridiculed, including the lead role and MMA fighter Bob Sapp (funny that Kitano Takeshi appears in this, considering his movies all rule the roost!). This is blatantly discussed on the extras DVD, where Miike says a bunch of not-so-profound things about art and music. I think Miike really does get a kick out of manipulating people, is the thing. It's kinda creepy.The music sucks, since it's mostly this exploited (autistic?) folk singer Miike fawns over. And yet Miike has a real skill for scene composition. The cinematography here is fantastic! And so are the actors who are NOT being exploited. It's a weird interplay, not unlike some of Woody Allen's interesting moments. You know, a really great cast, contrasted against a handful of really pitiful, blatantly exploited bad actors who aren't in on the joke.By the way, don't watch this expecting a samurai film. The choreography and fighting is purposefully ugly and oafish. This movie is quite blatantly an anti-samurai film, which brings to light Miike's perspective on the subject. The anti-dogmatic stance of this film indicates a non-conservative stance of modern Japanese society. Beautiful cinematography and interesting ideas don't make up for the purposefully manipulative and abstract portions of the film. I guess I can respect that Miike was trying to do something artistic here, but it's simply not that enjoyable or cathartic to sit through.