Ichi the Killer (2001)

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Directed by Takashi Miike.

Starring Shinya Tsukamoto, Tadanobu Asano, Sabu, Nao Omori, Alien Sun.

Maverick auteur Takashi Miike spins this unsettling, blood-soaked yakuza yarn adapted from Hideo Yamamoto's cult manga Koroshiya 1. When mob don Anjo mysteriously disappears, his protégé Kakihara (Tadanobu Asano) vows to find the people responsible. Sporting a blond head of hair and a yawning, pierced slash for a mouth, Kakihara is no ordinary gangster and his methods are equally unorthodox; he impales one poor suspect's naked body on a series of meat hooks and then dumps hot oil on him. Meanwhile, a shadowy character known as Jijii (played by director Shinya Tsukamoto) deftly manipulates, for his own nefarious ends, Ichi (Nao Omori), an unbalanced but ruthless killing machine clad in a superhero suit. Pining for the sadistic abuse of his boss, Kakihara learns of Ichi from a Hong Kong hostess (Alien Sun) and sets out to find this fabled butcher, hoping he can inflict the pain that Kakihara craves. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival as a part of the Midnight Madness program. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

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Reviews and discussions

Re:Ask the Doctor...
by Macabre_FilmNut in HORROR MOVIES 101

loved it.

"[quote user="Risselada"] Media-blasters is a distribution company. I've seen a few anime series from it I think. And also the DVD for Ichi the Killer. [/quote] Wow "ich the killer" hah? I am sitting here looking at, Ich the killer: Blood pack, as I write. What it is, is an extended version with interviews of the movie and it comes double disc in a blood bag. One of my favorite movies! I really enjoy Takashi Miike. Great director! " [More]

Re:Ask the Doctor...
by Risselada in HORROR MOVIES 101

liked it.

"Media-blasters is a distribution company. I've seen a few anime series from it I think. And also the DVD for Ichi the Killer. " [More]

Stomp the Ichi Sunshine Cemeter ...
by dibot in dibot Blog

liked it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"I didn't realize that I had gotten so far behind.I found Stomp the Yard surprisingly enjoyable. Perhaps it was my mood at the time, or maybe just because I secretly enjoy dancing movies. Whatever the reason, despite the predictable story and just average acting, I had a good time. The choreography is outstanding. It won't change your world, but this is a good afternoon distraction.From director Takashi Miike ("Audition"), Ichi the Killer is a strange and often disgusting film. The story has rival Japanese gangs, and a sub-group bent on destroying one of the gang's pain-loving lunatic members. Ichi is just a quiet guy who has been trained to fight and kill because of some traumatic childhood memories. He's got some crazy moves (which my husband says are from the game Tekken). There's lots of torture and awkward sexual moments. I thought the end was a bit abrupt. But the main bad guy had an excellent iridescent suit during the final battle. Worth watching, but ver ... " [More]

Re: Most Anticipated Upcoming K ...
by Takashigang in Korean Cinema

hasn't rated it.

"Miike is amazing. I recommend all his movies. Visitor Q is very strange and a bit disturbing in parts (You won't have any question on which parts when you see it). My favorite Miike film is Audition. It's almost a perfect film. Ichi the Killer is amazing too. The Great Yokai War had good visuals but was a pretty strange fantasy. The Bird People of China was a big change of pace for Miike. Nothing like the rest of his films. Another favorite of mine is Deadly Outlaw Rekka. It's one of the best Yakuza films I've seen. The ending is outstanding. " [More]

Re: Latest unknown fave
by Risselada in Viewing with a purpose

liked it.

"Yeah I almost ALWAYS watch the commentary if there is any as well. Even if I didn't like the movie. Because I usually rent a movie because I thought it would be interesting or good. So if it isn't I want to see if I can get a better reason as to why. So I check out the commentary. Sometimes it's a complete waste like when the commentator just narrates what's obviously happening in the movie. It's also annoying when they talk about irrelevent events or things about the movie or people who were working on a movie. I don't really care if the director just called up the guy who did the grips a week ago and found out his son just won his little league tournament or some weird pointless fact like that. If the story is irrelevent but interesting in iteself maybe, but unless it's a Herzog or Jodorowsky movie it's less likely.Anyways I heard a commentary from Miike as well. It was for Ichi the Killer. Very interesting to hear what the approach is fr ... " [More]

Re: Welcome to Tough Guys
by Risselada in Tough Guys

liked it.

"Here's a few I think are real badassClint Eastwood as The Man With No NameRobert Shaw as Mr. Blue in The Taking of Pelham One Two ThreeRandall Cobb as Leonard Smalls in Raising ArizonaGhostdog? What do you think?Hellboy and one of his nemesis Karl Ruprecht Kroenen in HellboyMel Gibson as Mad Max in The Road WarriorTony Jaa in Ong-BakKirk Douglas in anythingI remember some real psycho from Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip GirlAll the guys in Sin CityDavid Carradine as Frankenstein in Death Race 2000Bruce LeeKlaus KinskiIchi and Kakihara in Ichi the KillerBen Kingsley as Don Logan in Sexy BeastBeat Takeshi " [More]

Violence delivered to your door ...
by CaptOwen in CaptOwen Blog

lost interest.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"A Miike film featuring the most delicious torture known to man, this absurdist look at the Yakuza underworld is one of the most unsettling films I have ever seen. Featuring an infantile (with mental teeth) villain who kills purely by splitting people in half via the funky blades in his comically large shoes (and dig that hockey/cyborg/rollerball-esque jumpsuit), a under-boss with a penchant for inflicting pain on himself as much as he does others ( one torture scene involves a rather hefty pan of boiling oil and ...tempura!), and a cast of women all of whom seem to enjoy being raped, this film really requires an effort to get through. Watching this with my brother, we stopped the DVD at least 10 times to simply look at each and utter "'What the F**ck?" But the madness had to continue.The tone of this film is simply scattergunned all over the place- as wacky as the obviously fake blood spurts (apparently Tarantino is a fan)and multiple decapitations often appear, on j ... " [More]

Top Five Gore on bloodgutsandgo ...
by Phantasma-gore-ia in Top 5

liked it.

"The absolute, gut-spewing, blood-letting, gore-flying flick of all time, in history: #1 Dead Alive.#2: also by Peter Jackson and right repulsive on its own: Bad Taste#3: the first not by PJ, but by Paul Verhoeven: Starship Troopers#4: Japanese sicko Takashi Miike's mind-warped Ichi the Killerand the #5 goriest: Clive Barker's Lord of IllusionsIf you've seen and were repulsed by these, you'll undoubtedly find much more to spew over at http://www.bloodgutsandgore.co m, my Internet shrine to all that's bloody, gory and generally messed up. " [More]

Tempura anyone?
by glowbugg in glowbugg ramblings

loved it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"This was my introduction to Takashi Miike films and I was hooked right from the start. I watched this film three times back to back (got to love Showtime's rotation) and then I purchased it and passed it out to all of my friends. Some people just can't take a joke. The brutality. The gore. The comedic relief. This is what great films are made of. I will never eat shrimp tempura with the same zeal and pleasure again.One of my all-time favorite films ever! " [More]

movie year countdown #4 - 2003 ...
by Risselada in Risselada Blog

liked it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"This blog entry is part of my “movie year countdown”. To read more about that check out my first Spout filmblog entry.Ruang rak noi nid mahasan (Last Life in the Universe)Honestly, it's hard for me to conceptualize a different identity for a lot of countries in The Orient. After living in a big city for a few years I'm starting to differentiate between different types of food, but even that all seems to blend together pretty closely. I've seen movies from China, Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and others most likely.In the specials features of this film the filmmakers often comment on how they were really trying to bring their feelings and images of Thailand to the screen. The only other movie from Thailand I've seen is Ong-Bak, which had many scenes in the city as well. But Last Life in the Universe seems to give you more of the real modern sense of the place.Of course half of the movie is really Japanese. The story is about how to different b ... " [More]

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Review by All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide

lost interest.

In Takashi Miike's freakishly intense world, the tormentor and the tormented are locked in a cycle of retribution and outlandish violence where torture, dismemberment, and evisceration are the norm. Crisply edited and employing some mind-boggling camera techniques, the film -- as in Miike's other works -- creates mordantly funny moments that are as pungent as they are memorable. At one point, Kakihara, as an act of atonement, cuts off his pierced tongue only to take a cell phone call immediately afterwards. At another, a cascade of blood, bowels, and body parts spills into a hallway immediately after Ichi enters a room. Yet for all of Miike's visual invention and wit, the film's dubious treatment of women might leave a bad taste in the mouth of the most hardened Asian cult film buff. Every woman in the flick is brutalized in a manner that borders on the pornographic (including rape and genital mutilation) and then killed. While some might be exhilarated by Miike's brilliant camera work and imagery, others might be inclined to take a bath. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

Tags: Yakuza , tense , tongue-slicing , stylized , bloodgutsandgorecom
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