Ichi the Killer (Unrated Edition)
by Takashi Miike
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DVD details
Actor: Nao Omori, Paulyn Sun, Shinya Tsukamoto, Susumu Terajima, Tadanobu AsanoDirector: Takashi Miike
Brand: Media Blasters
Producer: Akiko Funatsu
Producer: Albert Yeung
Producer: Dai Miyazaki
Producer: Elliot Tong
Producer: Sumiji Miyake
Writer: Hideo Yamamoto
Writer: Sakichi Sat?
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language); Japanese (Original Language); English (Subtitled)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 129 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-11-18
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Media Blasters
DVD Reviews of Ichi the Killer (Unrated Edition)
DVD Review: Koroshiya 1
Summary: 4 Stars
The Yakuza, the Japanese crime syndicate, control crime on virtually every level of Japanese society. They bully the press and filmmakers to portray them as society's "noble outlaws, when in reality they'll torture and/ or kill anyone who gets in their way. Japanese filmmaker Juzo Itami had a price on his head after he portrayed the Yakuza as money grubbing, ill mannered miscreants in the movie Minbo no oona. He was attacked by five members of the Yakuza in a parking lot outside his house and sustained serious injuries. (He allegedly committed suicide years later by jumping off a tall building.) With Koroshiya 1 (Ichi the Killer) Takashi Miike takes on the Yakuza in his own unique way.
After the kidnapping, and possible brutal murder, of syndicate boss Anjo and the theft of 300 million yen Kakihara, Anjo's protege and chief of his syndicate, seeks to find the party responsible. A masochist who will stop at nothing to prove a point, not even stopping short of cutting off part of his own tongue, Kakihara gets word that Suzuki, another crime boss, was involved due to Kakihara cutting him out of Anjo's porn video business. Anjo's syndicate is kicked out of the Yakuza, though, after Kakihara brutally tortures and disfigures Suzuki without proper proof that Suzuki was behind Anjo's disappearance. With Kakihara as their new leader, the clan finds out from a former member that Anjo is dead, murdered by a mysterious man known as Ichi who brutally hacks his victims to pieces. Missing the sadist to his masochist, Kakihara seeks Ichi out, the one person who may be able to give him the pain that he needs.
Based on the manga of the same name by Hideo Yamamoto, Ichi the Killer is possibly one of the most disturbing movies I have ever seen, and I mean that in a good way. Miike shoots this very brutal movie with unmatched style using jump cuts, slick camera moves, and interesting angles to tell a story that otherwise would have just been near torture porn. The characters are also colorful, if also severely disturbing, especially Kakihara who sports a harlequin smile and purple jacket similar to Batman's Joker, but is scarier and far more unpredictable.
Miike decides not to delve into the rights or wrongs of the Yakuza, and probably for the best after hearing the story of Juzo Itami, but instead takes a look at the brutality of the sadist/ masochist's relationship. But within this study of sadomasochism we still see the brutality of the Yakuza, even if its just amongst themselves and the different clans.
The one problem I have with this is that at times the gore and "action" is a tad bit over the top. Of course, this could also be because the film was adapted from a manga, meaning that it's closer to the film form of anime than a live action feature. At times the over the top action, takes you out of the film, and causes the film to loose some sense of reality. These times pass by shortly after as you see the aftermath of what just happened which once again drops you back you into the devastating reality of the flick.
All in all a great film, if gory and disturbing. If you have a weak stomach, or are adverse to gore I highly recommend that you stay away, and definitely don't allow the kids to watch. But this is a movie that will highly appeal to gore hounds, fans of torture porn, Asian film enthusiasts, and most people who enjoy a good organized crime movie. If you fall into those categories I highly recommend this flick.
4/5
DVD Review: Will this ever actually get released??!!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the fourth time the release date for this has been pushed back. I swear it orignally was supposed to be released in August, then October, then November, and now February. I beginning to think that kakihara is behind all of this just to torture his legions of fans. Please, please, please release this movie!DVD Review: Dark movie, but very unique.
Summary: 5 Stars
Despite it's darkness, or possibly because of it, there were some very beautiful moments in the very unique movie. Five stars. Check out a trailer online to see if this is for you.DVD Review: Takashi Miike, amazing director. Ichi The Killer, sub par film.
Summary: 3 Stars
Now I know what Heath Ledger was watching before doing his performance in THE DARK KNIGHT. And if he didn't base his "scar smile" on the character of Kakihara, from ICHI THE KILLER, then he must have at least seen the cover of the movie. Not that I'm dumbing down Ledger's portrayal of the Joker here, it just takes something away from it after seeing the blatant character connections to ICHI THE KILLER. But alas, we are not here to talk about Batman or Heath Ledger. We are all here for the movie at hand, ICHI THE KILLER.
This movie has quite the reputation. Horror fans (not to mention fans of strange cinema in general) have considered it to be a classic and I always hear people say things like, "Have you seen Ichi The Killer!?!" Or comments like, "You have got to see Ichi The Killer!" It's just the type of movie that seems to please even the most hardened Horror / Slasher fan.
Now, I am no stranger to Takashi Miike's work. I loved his movie AUDITION and was a pretty big fan of his "Grindhouse" spaghetti Western epic SUKIYAKI WESTERN : DJANGO. Those two films impressed me and I was quite anxious to finally see ICHI THE KILLER. After all, a lot of my friends boasted it was his best film.
To be blunt, I was a little disappointed. The movie itself is a little hard to follow, but that might have only been me personally because I found most of it to be ludacris. Who knows? Maybe that was the intention of the film itself, but I found it all to be rather hard to get into and the characters to be a tad boring. This was quite a shock to me considering I absolutely loved AUDITION and SUKIYAKI WESTERN : DJANGO. ICHI THE KILLER is messy, over the top, long winded at times and unsatisfying. It doesn't help matters any that it uses some pretty lame looking CGI effects, which usually isn't a problem for me.
The plot concerns a Yakuza leader who is being hunted by a killer named Ichi. There is a lot of strange plot details that follow the exploits of Ichi but nothing resonates with the character because to put it simply, he's kind of a sissy. Ichi has sexual problems and he can't become intimate with women unless he's hurting them. Outside of that, he seems like a reasonable guy. If only he could stop cutting people into pieces. Oh' yeah. Did I mention he wears a black Super Hero outfit with a huge, white # 1 printed on the back? 'Yup, in my opinion this guy is about as far away from menacing as you can get. Maybe that was the point but yet again, I just don't care.
I wasn't disappointed with everything about the film. Kakihara is a pretty horrific gang leader who enjoys torturing people with metal hooks and long sharp needles. He seemed to round things out nicely for an otherwise, pointless and messy film. Some of the death scenes are supremely nasty, adding to the over all sense that this is a heartless and cold movie. Plot wise and direction wise I mean.
In the end, I personally was looking for more from Takashi Miike. AUDITION was such a beautiful and dark movie and it makes ICHI THE KILLER look like a Troma film by comparison. Thats not a bad thing (I love Troma's movies) but it's not what I expected or wanted. Gore Hounds, check it out for disgusting scenes of graphic death, psycho sexual dialogue and strange characters through out. Casual fans of Horror may want to steer clear of this one and just rent something like CHILD'S PLAY, FRIDAY THE 13th or NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD instead. Better yet, just rent his movie AUDITION instead. You'll be glad you did!
DVD Review: The Torture of Dissatisfaction
Summary: 4 Stars
I'm sure like several viewers I rented this film with a lot of anticipation. I saw Audition last year and vowed that I loved it and would never watch it again. Audition impacted me (not traumatized, but impacted) in a way few movies have. I thought that Ichi would have a similar effect, but I found in Ichi a profoundly different approach to torture and the visual experience of it.
Although many reviewers have labeled Ichi as gorey and over the top, it fails to enable the viewer to fully partake in its numerous but brief torture scenes. The film never or almost never shows the entirety of a character's torture act and frequently cuts before the actual death of the character. Rather than being a no limits gorefest like a lot of contemporary American horror films (I'm talking about you Saw series. the poorest victim of your torture is the dead horse you're beating), Ichi struggles to, well, get off. None of the characters derive satisfaction from the practice of their sado-masochistic desires. Yet oftentimes when this is the case in a film, at least the viewer can indulge in the visual smorgasbord of blood and guts without guilt or inner conflict. And though there are moments when we finally get to see what we've been waiting for, they are too fleeting or disjunctive to make a lasting impact. Ichi's characters and viewers alike are deprived - and god, don't you have to be to pick up this movie and actually want to watch it?
Ichi the Killer begs many questions about the portrayal of sado-masochistic themes on screen. Is death the achievement of climax or torture's disappointing finale? For the viewer who expects agony, is the concealment of it even more agonizing? Is Ichi a better film because of its total embodiment of psychological torture, or worse? You decide, I'm still unsure.
Description of Ichi the Killer (Unrated Edition)
Welcome to a world where violence is a virtue and depravity is a way of life. This madman ichi the killer and between him and kakihara the streets will run red with blood. Studio: Media Blasters Inc. Release Date: 11/18/2003 Run time: 129 minutes Rating: Nr Director: Takashi MikeGeneral DVDs
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