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Meejoir
11-04-2002, 06:51 PM
Saw a Japanese ganster film called "Ichi the Killer" last year on a film festival tour and it was easily and by far and away the most violent film I have ever seen. It was also very funny.

It hasn't yet had a general release in the UK, did it get a release anywhere else and has anybody seen it? It was directed by Takashi Miike, and was unbelievably blood thirsty.

I would love to know what people thought of it.

oscar jubis
11-05-2002, 02:01 AM
Blood thirsty? Goriest? Yes, in either the original Japanese release or the slightly censored Hong Kong version, both available on DVD. Ichi is developing a young, male cult audience. It succeeds in shocking us by any means necessary past revulsion into laughter.Thoroughly perverse and nihilistic. Its inclusion in a Top Ten ever, makes me curious about Meejoir.

Ilker81x
11-14-2003, 11:27 AM
I bought the 2-DVD Regionless Uncut Edition of "Ichi the Killer (Koroshiya 1)," complete with interviews, trailers, press photos, etc. Personally, I thought "Ichi the Killer" was pretty well-done. The filmmakers had no illusions about it, as you can tell from interviews, they knew exactly what kind of film they were making. They knew it was ridiculously ultra-violent and even cheesy in its extremity. They never intended the computer graphics to look slick or realistic, they wanted it to look like computer graphics. The violence isn't supposed to be slick or realistic, but intentionally cartoonish. It's based on a manga, and so they deliberately made it as campy as possible. As a result, the film achieves a level of humor beyond the "Evil Dead" sense of "so-bad-it's good." They take it seriously, but it's not a serious movie.

The performances are actually good, the story is nothing special but it is well-executed. The characters are complex, and as "Audition (Oodishon)" and "Dead or Alive" have already proven, Takashi Miike has a penchant for mixing surreal horror with sublime humor. The ending to "Dead or Alive," as the entire "Dead or Alive" series, is so ludicrous that it actually does have some hidden meaning, but you can't see that meaning without watching the two sequels...which are really kinda unrelated beyond the same two actors. Same with "Audition (Oodishon)" where not only are you not sure what is dream and what is reality, but the whole movie plays as a social commentary on the nature of male/female relationships in Japan. "Ichi the Killer (Koroshiya 1)" has similar problems with its seemingly nonsensical ending, and questions always arising as to what is real, what is fantasy, and just what the hell is wrong with all these people? It's funny, but underneath the humor are some serious themes.

Does this make it a good movie? To me, it does. It's subtle, funny, and entertaining. It challenges the audience's stomach for extreme imagery and unbelievable characters. The violence is over-the-top, but as a result it's funny. It dares the audience to laugh at things most people would be too afraid to admit finding funny. It plays on people's perceptions of what they think they find appealing, and for that I think it's a brilliant movie.