Fukushûki 
1969 / 73m - Japan
Thriller
2.0*/5.0*
Vengeance Demon poster

Watches

November 25, 2016

2.0*/5.0*

Sex and violence, through the lens of Wakamatsu. The man was incredibly prolific, so it's no surprise not every film was as polished as could be. Vengeance Demon has a pretty basic setup and makes little effort to take it any further. It's a pretty repetitive and crude film that is quite uncomfortable to watch, but never in a way that impresses.

A brother and sister are banished from their village. They find a house pretty close by, a little too close according to the villagers. To make that clear, they pay the two a visit and rape the sister. The brother is furious and only wants one thing: to take revenge on the villagers for what they did to his sister. A revenge that will be brutal and relentless.

A simple setup, a simple film. A man takes revenge, mostly on people having sex. And this repeats itself until we've reached the 70-minute mark and Wakamatsu can go on to the next one. The violence is crass and the film doesn't pull any punches, but this isn't like Mike's Izo, where there's clear intent and cinematic polish to make things more bearable. Not a great Wakamatsu, but still worth it when you're in the mood for something harsh.