Ichi The Killer

This movie is considered taboo for it's content, making it a hard to find movie. I happened upon it by pure luck at a local appliance and media store. The DVD case was a blood pack, complete with real looking red fluid. Needless to say, this little piece of promotional intrigue was by all means, appropriate for the disk it housed.

Ichi the killer, is a Japanese film that jumps between madness and depravity as it follows the footsteps of Kakihara, the sadistic gang member in search of his boss of the Anjou gang. After subsequent murders and assassinations occur, the bad blood between rival gangs begin to boil, and allies begin to cut ties with the Anjou gang.

Kakihara begins to torture people for information, using long needle like spikes as implements to bleed the information out of his victims. While being a sado-masochist as well as a witty jokester and snappy dresser, he is above all else, a madman. His fanatical allegiance to the boss is demonstrated through out the movie as he does even more brutal and sick things to others as well as himself. This movie is not for the squeemish.

Rooms filled with dismembered bodies, organs and various intestines are scattered about the floors like confetti and streamers. Blood paints the walls and ceilings as Ichi, a contract killer, continues to tear and rip his way through his targets. Ichi himself, is mentally unstable and is constantly at battle with his own judgments and orders that are given. Ichi was brutally bullied as a child, and his employers exploit this by telling him that all of his targets either look like certain bullies in his life, or are bullies. Due to traumatic events in his past, Ichi becomes even more erratic as he begins to cut down those whom he wishes to protect.

I personally liked this movie for it's dark humor and over-the-top violence. Just watching some scenes made me cringe and squirm in my seat. The music was another great feature as well as the cinematography and camera work. As I continued to view the film, I came to realize something. No one, not a single person in that movie, was innocent or good. Even those, who seemed nice and charitable, ended up being just as sadistic as the next guy. One moment, a yakuza gang member is helping a stranger out and even buys him lunch. The next moment though, the same yakuza gang member is kicking a person to death with his heavy boots.

Although this movie may not be for all to view, if you are into ultra-violent foreign films, this movie is for you. It can be watched in the original Japanese dialogue with subtitles, or in dubbed English. Don't worry, the dubbing is really well done and in sync with most of the lip movement. Also, the English dialogue is literally English, accents and slangs complete.

Like I've mentioned before, this movie is not for the squeemish! Do not view this movie after eating.