Born in Nara Prefecture, he started making 8mm films in high school, and directed his first 35mm film, a pink film, in 1975. He earned a citation from the Directors Guild of Japan New Directors Award in 1981 for Gaki teikoku, and his Boys Be Ambitious won the best picture award at the 1996 Blue Ribbon Awards. He received two Japanese Academy Award nominations in 2006 for writing and directing Pacchigi! and won the award for best director at the 27th Yokohama Film Festival for that film. Izutsu frequently appears on television in Japan and is known for his critical commentary. He has also directed many television commercials.