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Sodom the Killer dvd review

by Chris   ⋅   August 2, 2007   ⋅   Comment now   ⋅    RSS

The name Sodom the Killer (aka: Sodom no ichi), to me, conveys a film promising debauched violence on an epic scale. However, in the case of this film, it couldn’t be farther from the truth. Instead, Sodom the Killer is full on parody of J-Horror’s grudge and occult films, such as Juon and Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis, while at the same time a loving tribute to the low budget stage and photographic sensibilities of cult 70’s fare, such as those found in Norifumi Suzuki’s School of the Holy Beast. It goes without saying that Sodom the Killer is quite the strange animal, and nothing at all like what I expected. Still, what I got was immensely fun.

The basic framework of Sodom’s “story” involves on a centuries old curse following the wrongful deaths of two girls. Having lost his bride-to-be to some very strange wedding circumstances (she just starts coughing up blood mid ceremony), Lord Sodom searches high and low for a potential killer. Happening on a strange pincushion in the shape of his bride, Sodom attributes the death to witchcraft, and puts to death two young girls in whose room it was found. The girls curse Lord Sodom, promising to get their revenge in their next life. However, as soon as the girls are out of the picture, Sodom discovers the real owner of the pincushion. Having executed two innocents, he finds himself now forsaken by God, transformed into the blind swordsman and rampaging slaughterer, Sodom the Killer.

And it gets weirder.

Flash forward 300 years. Sodom and company are back. After a lengthy and absurd back story involving a series of deaths by tin can, the same setup happens again. Sodom, now The Killer and sporting a possee, sets about a murder and crime spree. Hot on his tail is the reincarnated form of one of the innocent girls, Therese, a young plucky police officer armed with a rapid fire Luger. As Sodom wages his reign of terror (on Ramen stands, public transportation, and psychic friends), he builds toward his ultimate goal of world domination and the eventual resurrection of his beau. Will Therese be able to stop him in time?

Sodom the Killer marks the directorial debut for Hiroshi Takahashi, who previously handled the scripts for the Ringu trilogy and the XX: Utsukushiki femme fatale films (see: Beautiful Beast). While the bulk of his other works are deadly serious adventures, Sodom is a gonzo comedy on par with Survive Style 5+, good Vermillion Pleasure Night, or even American Naked Gun films. The humor is very absurd, very Japanese television, but therein lies its charm. Everything about the production is purposefully cheap, from the terrible video backgrounds and undressed sets, to the rag-doll stunt doubles and obvious miniatures. It concert, these cheap tricks afford the film a sort of tongue in cheek camp, ever calling attention to themselves in order to further the level of absurdity in every scene. And I mean every scene. Its end sword-battle (which pays homage to such film’s as Teruo Ishii’s Female Yakuza Tale) features about eight combatants managing roughly twenty-four on-screen deaths. It’s wonderfully silly, and completely entertaining.

However, in spite of its on-the-cheap sensibilities, the actual look of Sodom the Killer is quite nice. A lot of time was spent making sure each shot was framed in a manner suitable for a promotional still (seriously, I had to really think about which ones I wanted to use as screen caps). Aiding the compositions are a bevy of stage tricks, from theatrical lighting and pitch black backdrops, to showering debris and fishing wire floaters. It’s very polished and very slick. Topping it all off is the infectious surplus of energy on the part cast and crew, which includes actors Rena Komine (Masked Rider: The First), Shoko Nakahara (Visitor Q, Full Metal Yakuza), and Takashi Urai as the titular Sodom. Everyone involved does a bang-up job. I can only hope the cast and crew reunite again for another bout of unabashed and well constructed silliness.

In closing, Sodom the Killer is a wonderful piece of cinematic junk food that looks and plays as good as it tastes. It may not have been the horror film I expected, but in light of the belly laughs it provided, I couldn’t care less. The humor may take a bit of getting used to for Western audiences, but it’s definitely worth the look.

The DVD
Tokyo Shock presents Sodom the Killer in its original fullscreen 1.33:1 aspect ratio with Japanese 2.0 language track and English subtitles. Tokyo Shock transfers run the full gambit of slightly muddy to crystal clear, and thankfully Sodom receives one of the latter. It’s crisp and clear, with only the slightest hint of dither, but what’s really impressive is the depths of black achieved. They are pitch black, never dark gray, even in the presence of bright whites and spotlighted subjects. The audio, while nothing ear-blowing, is decent and clear.

The extras on the disc are pretty slim. The only real extra is a 13 minute Premier Screening special which documents the introduction to the film made by the director and cast members. It’s not particularly informative, but at least it’s pleasant. Rounding out the disc are a series of trailers for Sodom the Killer, Japanese Hell, Black Kiss (This actually looks cool), Id, and Frankenstein Conquers the World.

All in all, the extras offered are nothing to write home about, but the film itself is definitely cool. The disc retails for about $14.99 (I checked at Rasputin), so it makes a justifiable blind purchase. Check it out.

About the Author

Chris Nelson has been a film fanatic since age six. A former film and English major, he is now a Software Engineer and contract Technical Writer living in the Silicon Valley.