Ichi the Killer (2001)

Amazingly funny and horrific! There's a complete artistic side to it and I love it!

I've seen reviews that talked about having to turn this film off every 20 min to catch their breath, how it's gag inducing, or the hardest film they ever watched. I ate dinner while watching this. It is not a cinematic masterpiece. It's simplistic, dumb, and show almost none of the violence people talk about. The most violent thing in the film is a girl that accidently gets her throat cut and bleeds out. I have seen films way more violent than this. For crying out loud kill bill is more violent. 99% of the violence in this film is simply implied or all you see is a bit of the aftermath. What is the big freaking deal with this film. There is nothing overly deep here. I expected way more than a guy with 2in blades in his shoes somehow slicing people in half. The film isn't the stylistic masterpiece it's made out to be. If this is a 7 on style scale then Crank is an 11 it has infinitely more stlye the story is just as bad. The hype around this film is dumb.

Overall, Ichi The Killer is a long and tedious film, the movie would have received a lower score if it was not for its extremely unique plot, which I loved. Though it is a bit grotesque and unusual, it was something that seemed right up my alley (I enjoy high concept horror movies). The main character is as bizarre as they come, which is great, if it weren't for Kakihara, the movie would have been flat out terrible. His growing excitement towards Ichi is great, the more he gets anxious and excited, the more we are pulled in as a viewer. But a film with so much potential is squandered by the disappointing character known as Ichi, he is so over the top that it completely ruins the character. I hated everything about his character, from the actor who plays him, to his excessive jitteriness, and to his convoluted past. This is where the movie lost me as a viewer, so much relied on this character and I couldn't buy into it. Before the two characters meet, we are given glimpses of Ichi and for me, they were nothing but disappointing. And as the for the climax where they finally meet, I should have known the movie would throw a curveball (it is Miike after all). But what you can say about the movie is that Miike has a very unique style, which is bittersweet, I can appreciate and admire it, but I don't always enjoy it (like the case with Ichi the Killer).

Takashi Miike is never far from the centre of controversy. "Audition" (1999), is a fantastic movie and one of the best horror movies Japan has to offer. It's only nature that Miike would return to his roots with the yakuza genre sooner or later, but who knew it would be this intense?Based on Hideo Yamamoto's manga series. "Ichi The Killer" tells the story of rival yakuza gangs and the involvement of a scarred and psychologically damaged man, Ichi, who is manipulated into assaulting or killing rival faction members. Leading to sadomasochistic yakuza enforcer Kakihara, to eagerly await a final showdown with this supposed "dangerous" individual.Without really spoiling anything, the title credits set the tone for this movie by literally appearing in Ichi's ejaculation. So there clearly is a level of taste in this film that may or may not be for you, the film is outright banned in several locations because of this. I've seen it once and its shock value does overwhelm its pacing in many areas, with the final 40 minutes becoming much clearer when following the narrative. Music-wise the soundtrack is pretty great and either way the movie is a mess in terms of gore and story telling, yet there is something surprisingly engrossing where certain events take you. Maybe I missed a lot the first time viewing and it runs a little too long for its own good, but I really found myself enjoying it and inevitably eager to see it again.Final Verdict: In essence, "Ichi The Killer" is pretty forgetful when considering Takashi's other works. But if you're a fan of his then I highly recommend it. 7/10.