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Ichi the Killer (Unrated Edition) Director: Takashi Miike Number of Items: 1 Format: Color Audience Rating: Unrated Running Time: 129 minutes Studio: Media Blasters, Inc Product Group: DVD Release Date: 2003-11-18 Buy from Amazon

Customer Reviews: Total numer of reviews: 86 Average rating: 4.0 "Must have DVD" one of the best movies I have ever seen - very different - classic "Big Disappointment" Miike is an imaginative, clever director but his films are a decidedly mixed bag: often surreal, beautiful, grotesque, tedious and original. "Ichi the Killer" is all of that and without a doubt his most extreme work--which is saying alot! It's quite cooly disgusting in a cartoonish way but after a short while it runs out of steam and drags along from one over-the-top sequence to another. It totally lacks the emotion and suspense that "Audition", his best film, had. By the way, the video transfer is solid but the image is too dark. "Fake violence" I loved 'Audition' and I've been trying to get my hands on Visitor Q, in the meanwhile I stumbled across Ichi. Considering it's by the same director, Takeshi Miike (a sort of Japanese Tarantino), and after reading up on the film's overall hype and reputation, I thought I'd give it a try. I loved the cold, sterile style of cinematography and the narrative in Audition. I was hoping this would be similar. An intelligent yet warped storyline, submersed with dry wit, cynicism and surrealism. I think there's definite elements from the 'Audition' side of things in there (particularly the torture scenes - which I was sorta hoping would be a tiny bit more graphic), but I didn't find it half as intriguing. I guess the film mainly appealed to me because of my occasional bloodlust. I don't even mind if the gore is senseless and irrelevant sometimes, as long as it's depicted realistically and fits somehow, even symbolically, into the context of the plot. In the end, I found this film was really about pain which fills the empty void in life, illustrated in a sort of twisted s&m/fetish, murder and rape way. I find that the director sorta likes to experiment on the viewers, and his films are the idyllic sort of stimulus medium in which to 'freak us out' and then make us think about why we watched his film and probably why we enjoyed it and want to see another. I found that's the effect both Audition and Ichi had on me. The only thing that kinda bothered me about the violence was how fake it was, like when Ichi slices through the first guy with his shoe-blade (which is the stupidest weapon, why not just use a knife for f**k sake) and he splits down the middle (although I'm pretty sure that was intended to be comedic as it is so obviously computer animated), or when Kakihara is punched in the mouth and his face wounds spread open. I can see how it was supposed to be satirical in a way. I think the biggest let-down was the ending, it seemed far too unplanned and incoherent. Kakihara's demise was sort of romanticised which held the greatest relevance to the theme. The fight scene was ridiculous though, and at that stage Ichi's nervousness becomes incredibly irritating. Overall, generally it's an ok film, suitable for trippy late-night loneliness. Some really good parts and an interesting concept, but it tends to drag on and a lot of the latter scenes and violence don't really have any point. The films doesn't offer much in the way of exposition or explanation. If you're looking for a more profound and substantial film which relates to pain and loneliness, Audition is much better. "DROP IN QUALITY" I'm not saying don't buy this if you like Miike's work but after Audition I thought he had finally found himself as a film maker and was going to produce more quality product. This film is instead a big step backwards to his earlier cheap Yakuza films and has a slapped together/ improv vibe to it. Massive amounts of violence no doubt but to what end? If you really want to see the best of Japanese cinema than check out the films of Beat Takeshi. "Stylishly Dark (Red)" I would go on and on about Ichi the Killer's purported title of "one of the most disgusting movies ever" but it wouldn't get anyone anywhere. Ichi the Killer is the tale of two very disturbed, homicidal maniacs. The first, the titular character of the story, is a man who literally gets off by killing others. The other is Kakihara, a pain-loving Yakuza whose threshold for the sensation is seemingly nonexistent. One "100% sadist" and one crazed masochist balance out this twisted story of revenge and unbalanced chemicals. When Kakihara's boss is killed by Ichi, the man goes on an obsessive search for him, whom he believes still lives. Leaving many broken and tortured along the way, Ichi is meanwhile being manipulated by Jijii, a shady and unscrupulous character who with his unwitting help is trying to force the Japanese underground to wipe itself out. As the two get closer to each other's tail, the story spirals to a rapid and bloody conclusion and leaves an indelible mark on the viewer, if even only by its shocking nature. Based on the manga "Koroshiya 1 (Killer #1)," Ichi the Killer is a compelling piece of cinema by the prolific director, Takashi Miike. Like most of his other works, this is not a film that lulls you into a serene state; it slaps you in the face, tells you to sit up, and holds your eyes open to witness it in all its gut-covered glory. The violence is graphic and intense but so graphic that it's hard to forget that this is based on a manga. The acting is well-done, but the obvious standout is Tadanobu Asano with his brilliant turn as Kakihara. Bringing humor and calm ferocity to a role that could have easily been mere slapstick violence, Asano even manages to give Kakihara humanity, regardless of the size of the scrap it is and the extent at which it appears. The DVD isn't bad at all; not much in the way of special features. There is commentary by Miike and the original manga's creator. You'll need to catch your breath a long while after the movie's over anyway. Ichi the Killer is definitely not for everyone. But if you take your cup of tea with a dash of blood and a side of entrails, perhaps you'll be just as entertained as I was by the movie.