Ichi The Killer

to start you must know this isnt for the faint of heart this really is a gruesome film. The next film from 'Auditon' director Takashi Miike (also a great film if you like horror) really does push the boundaries of on screen violence in what can be shown in a film. Kakihara is a hit man devoted to his yakuza boss, and when his boss mysteriesly disapears takes it upon himself to track down his boss using various methods of torture such as hooking a mans skin and chaining him to the roof while pouring boiling oil oer him. but then there ichi a sadistic killer with a depraved past who is set to kill kakihara. although people maybe off put by the nature of the film (Miike was obviously trying to provoke a reaction of shock) there lies a fantastic film with great characters, a new level of violence and it should definatly be worth a look for those who dare!!!

This 2001 fantasy thriller portrays the story of a scarred and psychologically damaged man, the masochistic Kakihara (Tadanobu Asano), whose boss, Anjo, has been kidnapped by a rival Yakuza gang in an unseen bloody attack. Ichi, an unknown but sadistic killer is given credit for the attack and Kakihara is next on his list –and he relishes the thought.Filmed in a live action Manga style, the violence is over the top, the blood splatter is by the bucket load, the mass murder scenes are awash with so much blood characters literally fall over. It’s madcap cartoon mayhem –and that’s the point. Half hour in you can’t take the violence seriously anymore and settle back to watch the ‘cartoon’ unfold its story. In reality you wait to see what will happen when a masochistic killer and a sadistic one finally meet and in reality the deleted scenes have little impact on the movie as a whole and some of the deleted first rape is actually seen in later flashbacks [I watched the uncensored version immediately after this].The single disc features play, chapters and audio [languages: Japanese or English dubbed, subtitles: English SDH, English off, audio commentary.] Undoubtedly an 18 rating for it’s violence, dismemberment, torture, rape, the swearing seems the least of the concerns. In typical cartoon manner there are frantic action scenes and some character building ‘linking’ scenes that keep it all grounded. This has elements that have now been much copied, but is still well worth a watch if you like plenty of gore or want ‘live action’ Manga –it even has a decent plot.POSSIBLE SPOILER%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%The cut scenes are basically; Editing of 2 early scenes of the pimp where he savagely beats a prostitute while raping her, most of the scenes involving torture and mutilation of the prostitute in the gangs ‘office’. The remainder of the edits are either so insignificant as to be un-noticeable or they are of the mutilated corpse or the burning of body parts to dispose of them. None of which are really essential to the plot other than to highlight the s&m relationships. In all about 3 minutes.%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Brutal, gory, fascinating. If you like your movies tinted red with blood, then you'll love Ichi. Strong stomach needed.

If I were to review the film Ichi The Killer, a five-star rating would be the only rating I'd give, as it is, I feel I should warn potential buyers regarding this specific DVD.Once again, the 'powers that be' have decided that we, as adults, are not allowed to freely decide whether we want to watch excessive violence or not, and as a result, have decided to cut this film beyond belief. Now, with a film like Ichi The Killer, the violence is actually an essential component to the overall concept, construction and execution of such a beautifully crafted movie, so to do so is just rendering the movie and the story useless.Towards the end of Ichi The Killer, the scenes are cut so badly that it's almost impossible to understand what is actually happening, leaving the viewer undoubtedly confused, infuriated and most definitely, alienated.Ichi The Killer, is without doubt a stunning and darkly beautiful film, that really pushes the boundaries of film making. Undeniably sick and twisted, it is hard to watch at times, but when the end credits roll, I believe you'll see the disturbed beauty of the film, and actually feel sorry for such twisted, psychologically manipulated characters and the way their paths have gone.Invest in a Region 1 release, and watch it in its full, uncut and disgustingly terrific entirety.

This is a review of the Rarewaves import Bluray.First the good:The film is uncut, unlike its UK DVD release which was very heavily cut. If you only own the UK DVD (or are considering buying that) then get this instead.Now the bad:Picture quality is disappointing. Despite claims of being sourced from a 4K remaster there is no more detail than there was in the Dutch DVD, just a lot more noise/grain. Contrast has been boosted and colours have been "corrected" so that they look more "natural", but lose some of the aesthetic style.Subtitles are also a downgrade over the English subtitles on the Dutch Premier Asia release, being somewhat simplified and also subtitling the English dialogue in the film... not very accurately.In short, if you already own the uncut Dutch DVD there's really no reason to get the Rarewaves BR. It looks worse, subtitles are worse and there are less special features.