Rating of
3/4
Ichi the Killer review
Daniel Corleone - wrote on 02/11/13
"There's no love in your violence." Weird, suspenseful, gross, funny, and yet somewhat artistic because of its content. Definitely not for the faint of heart or who hates excessive torture/violence/blood on film. No good guys to root for here, almost everybody is flawed except for a child, which has a huge part in the conclusion. A crime boss, namely Anjo, was murdered and Jijii (Shinya Tsukamoto) removes any traces. Kakihara (Tadanobu Asano) tries to search for his superior and blames Suzuki for the missing money and boss. He also asks assistance from dirty cops Jirô and Saburô (Suzuki Matsuo), who was aided by Kakihara. Jihii cares for Ichi (Nao Omori), a shy man who becomes crazy and skilled in killing when provoked, but cries when angry.
From the get-go this was no ordinary film about bloodshed and gang wars. Only noticeable weak-points were the overloaded of characters that lack character development and a longer showdown between the two demented lead freaks. It had a deeper plot and interesting characters that were effectively displayed by the artists. Themes of sadism, traumatic experiences, masochism, loyalty and manipulation were in full display. Some sample of really brutal scenes: Cutting of one's tongue to apologize and torture using a steel pointed blade. Can't go into details since one might ruin the fun, but despite certain grimaces some scenes were just laughable to ignore. Overall, soundtrack, acting, screenplay and direction were superb. Ichi the Killer is a stylish crime flick that not everybody would enjoy, but is a treat for its genre and story alone.
