So after my last review, my boyfriend really enjoyed watching Gozu with me and decided he needed to see some more Miike films. So, I decided to whip out a classic and re-watch Ichi The Killer, arguably one of Miike's best known films and somewhat of a cult favorite amongst horror fans. Incredibly violent, cheesy, and even hilarious at times, Ichi The Killer is a fun little film based off a manga in Japan.
I've seen this film several times prior and have also read the manga (which is available to read free online if you're interested), but Nick was watching it for the first time and was finding it rather confusing to follow. Some of the characters are a little confusing, but I found that reading the manga helped tremendously. The plot basically focuses around a clan of yakuza who live in a huge apartment complex with multiple other yakuza clans. An outcast named JiJii wants to set the yakuza clans against each other, so he hatches an elaborate plan which involves killing the head of the Anjo gang and his young girlfriend, as well as stealing all the contents of the gangs safe. He is able to accomplish this by using a mysterious young man named Ichi, who appears to be a sadistic killer who kills quickly and violently with ease. In reality, Ichi is a brainwashed crybaby who happens to be an incredibly efficient killer who wears a specialized suits with blades in the heels. He is also turned on by violence, but knows that killing is wrong. JiJii is able to brainwash Ichi, who is clearly deranged, into thinking that he was bullied in school and that his killing of yakuza members is justified because he needs to rid the world of these bullies.
The Anjo gang is now run by the next chain of command, the always entertaining Kakihara. Kakihara is a sadistic, S&M loving freak who gets off on torture and loves when pain is inflicted on him. He is upset when boss Anjo is accused of running off with the gangs money and his young girlfriend by the rest of the gang, and becomes adamant that he is still alive. JiJii meets with Kakihara and tells him of a rumor that he heard, that a member of another clan kidnapped the boss because he was mad at the Anjo clan for taking over his porn business. This is clearly a lie, as Ichi killed the boss under JiJii's command. The member of this other clan, Suzuki, is an ally to Kakihara but he brings him in to torture anyway. This starts a fight amongst the gangs in the yakuza mansion, just as JiJii wanted. Kakihara later learns of Ichi the Killer after seeing his 'work'. A diehard S&M freak, Kakihara becomes desperate to meet Ichi because he feels Ichi can give him the violent, painful death he has been dreaming of. The rest of the film leads up to the final confrontation between Ichi and Kakihara.
The film is highly stylized, with over the top violence and some cheesy CGI. It's clear that the film source was a manga, but theres nothing wrong with that. Ichi the Killer is entertaining and fun, with a really comical take on S&M. The character of Kakihara made the film worth watching alone. The violence is over the top and blood flows by the buckets. Like I said earlier, for a first time viewer it can be easy to get a little lost in the maze of characters and subplots. The character of Ichi is almost likable, he almost doesn't seem like too bad of a guy. I think from what I've seen, Ichi the Killer is probably one of the more accessible of Miike's films. Despite some other reviews I've seen claiming this movie is one the most violent ever, I think for a seasoned gorehound that this film is rather tame due to overly cartoonish effects, but thats not a bad thing. But definitely one I'd recommend.
RATING:
**** out of *****
I've seen this film several times prior and have also read the manga (which is available to read free online if you're interested), but Nick was watching it for the first time and was finding it rather confusing to follow. Some of the characters are a little confusing, but I found that reading the manga helped tremendously. The plot basically focuses around a clan of yakuza who live in a huge apartment complex with multiple other yakuza clans. An outcast named JiJii wants to set the yakuza clans against each other, so he hatches an elaborate plan which involves killing the head of the Anjo gang and his young girlfriend, as well as stealing all the contents of the gangs safe. He is able to accomplish this by using a mysterious young man named Ichi, who appears to be a sadistic killer who kills quickly and violently with ease. In reality, Ichi is a brainwashed crybaby who happens to be an incredibly efficient killer who wears a specialized suits with blades in the heels. He is also turned on by violence, but knows that killing is wrong. JiJii is able to brainwash Ichi, who is clearly deranged, into thinking that he was bullied in school and that his killing of yakuza members is justified because he needs to rid the world of these bullies.
The Anjo gang is now run by the next chain of command, the always entertaining Kakihara. Kakihara is a sadistic, S&M loving freak who gets off on torture and loves when pain is inflicted on him. He is upset when boss Anjo is accused of running off with the gangs money and his young girlfriend by the rest of the gang, and becomes adamant that he is still alive. JiJii meets with Kakihara and tells him of a rumor that he heard, that a member of another clan kidnapped the boss because he was mad at the Anjo clan for taking over his porn business. This is clearly a lie, as Ichi killed the boss under JiJii's command. The member of this other clan, Suzuki, is an ally to Kakihara but he brings him in to torture anyway. This starts a fight amongst the gangs in the yakuza mansion, just as JiJii wanted. Kakihara later learns of Ichi the Killer after seeing his 'work'. A diehard S&M freak, Kakihara becomes desperate to meet Ichi because he feels Ichi can give him the violent, painful death he has been dreaming of. The rest of the film leads up to the final confrontation between Ichi and Kakihara.
The film is highly stylized, with over the top violence and some cheesy CGI. It's clear that the film source was a manga, but theres nothing wrong with that. Ichi the Killer is entertaining and fun, with a really comical take on S&M. The character of Kakihara made the film worth watching alone. The violence is over the top and blood flows by the buckets. Like I said earlier, for a first time viewer it can be easy to get a little lost in the maze of characters and subplots. The character of Ichi is almost likable, he almost doesn't seem like too bad of a guy. I think from what I've seen, Ichi the Killer is probably one of the more accessible of Miike's films. Despite some other reviews I've seen claiming this movie is one the most violent ever, I think for a seasoned gorehound that this film is rather tame due to overly cartoonish effects, but thats not a bad thing. But definitely one I'd recommend.
RATING:
**** out of *****