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

kaz_3307 TW: Rape, sexual violence. This is my first Imdb review and i'm writing it partly because this film was tricky for me to rate, partly with the hope that someone who isn't okay with seeing simulated rape can be spared from watching this, and partly because it really unsettled me and affected me. So the movie opens with a brutal and explicit rape scene, which really caught me off guard. I'm still left wondering why they included this. Although i understand that the movie is an exploration of senseless gang/crime related violence, as well as themes of sadomasochism (mostly sadism let's face it), this scene was extremely uncomfortable, and i'd much rather watch simple physical torture scenes over and over than be forced to witness the complete degradation and dehumanisation of not one but two women, repeatedly. This is what really got to me- there are multiple rape scenes and furthermore constant flashbacks to another incident of rape, this left me on edge throughout the whole movie and really distracted me from the core themes of hypermasculinity and violence among these men who seem to be completely devoid of any real emotion or compassion, and all the main characters are totally self involved, obsessed with their self indulgent fantasies. Although it would have had great potential as more of an action comedy with underlying deeper themes exploring violence, in the end it felt lacking in delivering any substantial message or insight, and really just became the very thing it was supposed to/could have been critical of. The characters were completely disgusting, but they seemed to be portrayed as neutral, not bad or good, which didn't make sense to me. Not only this but all 3 of the only women in this movie were brutally raped, beaten and killed. Granted most people were killed in this movie but the thing that really turned me off this movie was the emphasis on gendered sexual violence towards women in this movie. There was no reason for it as far as I can see, and contributed nothing to the plot. Aside from all this the concept of a "superhero" type character completely repressed and devoid of morality killing people who he thinks are bullies and crying while doing so was pretty funny, and as i said i wish this movie played up that comedy more, instead it left me feeling like it was making a mockery out of violence particularly violence against women, whose stories were treated with complete disrespect.

Paul Magne Haakonsen This 2001 movie is a typical Takashi Miike movie. Now that may sound like a bad thing, but trust me, it is not. Takashi Miike is a very gifted Japanese director with an eye for the absurd and outrageous.And "Ichi the Killer" (aka "Koroshiya 1") is indeed a strange movie, especially if you are not familiar with Japanese cinema and the works of Takashi Miike.The story is about a sadomasochistic Yakuza enforcer who is looking for missing boss. He happens to cross paths with Ichi, a troubled young man and a ruthless killer.Tadanobu Asano (playing Kakihara) really were memorable in "Ichi the Killer", and the make-up on his face was really interesting and left a lasting impression. And Nao Ômori (playing Ichi) was also memorable in the role of the psychotic killer. And Paulyn Sun (playing Karen) did bring a touch of odd charms to the movie in her role.What works for "Ichi the Killer" is the weird ensemble of odd and off-beat characters who were portrayed throughout the movie. And director Takashi Miike is really adept at coming up with such memorable characters, and it is what makes his movie so interesting.The story is very easy to follow, but does have some deeper layers and director Takashi Miike is skilled at presenting such story lines and manages to connect the dots and tie up all loose ends masterfully.All in all a very enjoyable and watchable movie. A movie that even sustains more than a single viewing.

CinemaClown Overflowing with stylised but extremely graphic violence & featuring enough flinch-inducing moments of bloodshed over the course of its runtime, Takashi Miike's Ichi the Killer remains one of the most controversial films ever made & is still banned in many nations but despite the gruesome cruelty depicted here, it was nothing but a hilarious ride for me.Based on the manga series of the same name, Ichi the Killer follows the feud between two rival gangs which erupts when the crime boss of one of the gangs disappears & is believed to be kidnapped by the other mob, thus prompting the sadomasochistic yakuza enforcer of the former to carry out his sadistic investigation which leads him to Ichi, a psychologically damaged killer who's the real culprit.Directed by Takashi Miike (best known for Audition & 13 Assassins), Ichi the Killer presents the prolific filmmaker parodying the depiction of violence in media by taking this particular element way over the line and into a realm that turns the picture into a mishmash of playful & painful brutality. Miike's direction takes a no-holds-barred approach and while it carries an unsettling vibe, the poor effects also make it look funny, whether intentional or not.Although the gore content isn't held back and is going to upset & disturb its audience, the tension is still absent from the movie but it succeeds in putting on screen two of the most deranged characters you can probably think of. One of them is Kakihara, the chief enforcer for the yakuza gang with the missing boss & his love for sadism is explicitly displayed here. And if you think the level of violence Kakihara inflicts is as far as it can get, then there's Ichi to prove you wrong.On an overall scale, Ichi the Killer is as excessive, absurd & insane as films can go but the bizarre humour of it all nonetheless lowers the tone a little. There are sequences that'll have you turning away from the screen but within those scenes are also moments that you may find absolutely hilarious. For me, early into the story, Ichi the Killer became a long wait for two of its violence-friendly characters to face-off against each other and was disappointing on account of its notoriety, it's still an experience that won't fizzle out from memory soon enough.