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I, the Executioner

Play trailer 1:08 Poster for I, the Executioner 1968 1h 30m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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As the police investigate a sudden rash of brutal murders whose victims are all women the unscrupulous killer's murky motivations remain hauntingly elusive. A labyrinthine character study slowly unfolds implying that the targets of these unspeakable acts may be culpable in their own shocking demise. Although director Tai Kato worked within the studio system mostly on genre films, his distinctly bold and somber style proved him a maverick auteur, with I, the Executioner one of his most incendiary masterpieces. Kato matches the film's bleak narrative themes to its innovative aesthetics, "with blown out negatives, extreme close-ups, and deep focus mixed with his characteristic low angle composition to add to the sense of noirish dread which paints the modern city as an inescapable hellscape" (Haley Scanlon - Windows on Worlds).
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I, the Executioner

Critics Reviews

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Sarah Boslaugh TheArtsStl 01/31/2025
7/10
Kato provides a window on lower-class Japanese life and creates one bright and likeable character in this otherwise very dark film, a waitress (Chieko Baisho) at a noodle shop ... Go to Full Review Read all reviews
I, the Executioner

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Cast & Crew

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Tai Katô

Director

Chieko Baishô

Actor

Yuki Kawamura

Actor

Sanae Nakahara

Actor

Ranfan Ou

Actor

Makoto Satô

Actor
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I, the Executioner

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I, the Executioner

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Movie Info

Synopsis As the police investigate a sudden rash of brutal murders whose victims are all women the unscrupulous killer's murky motivations remain hauntingly elusive. A labyrinthine character study slowly unfolds implying that the targets of these unspeakable acts may be culpable in their own shocking demise. Although director Tai Kato worked within the studio system mostly on genre films, his distinctly bold and somber style proved him a maverick auteur, with I, the Executioner one of his most incendiary masterpieces. Kato matches the film's bleak narrative themes to its innovative aesthetics, "with blown out negatives, extreme close-ups, and deep focus mixed with his characteristic low angle composition to add to the sense of noirish dread which paints the modern city as an inescapable hellscape" (Haley Scanlon - Windows on Worlds).
Director
Tai Katô
Screenwriter
Haruhiko Mimura
Distributor
Film Movement
Production Co
Shochiku
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Japanese
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 31, 2025
Runtime
1h 30m