Tedfoldol everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Hattie I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Christophe Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

aractos-890-607133 --The opening is awesomely done and is a good sample of some cool directing moments that happen throughout the movie. You can expect good editing and exciting camera angles during action scenes. Kakihara's character is very well designed, with the scars, piercings and choice of flashy clothing. It is visually a pretty well made movie.--That said, the plot is kinda all over the place. The main characters, Ichi and Kakihara are superficially interesting, but the movie doesn't ever really dig in to them or make them anything more than cool-looking cardboard cutouts.--Overall, watching this movie was a peculiar experience. But I wouldn't do it again, the plot just doesn't hold my interest. Keep in mind that there's literally blood and guts flying around in a few scenes, and the movie gets very perverse here and there. If you're squeamish, I don't recommend watching this movie.

kluseba Ichi the Killer is a brutal yakuza movie by renowned director Takashi Miike. If you haven't watched any of his movies yet, let me tell you that this film isn't for lighthearted audiences. In the first five minutes alone, we see illegal gambling in a shady bar, a yakuza boss beating up and raping a prostitute and a voyeur masturbating to this instead of helping the poor woman. You will see prolonged torture sessions, people taking drugs and blood-red rooms filled with guts after intense massacres. Anyone who criticizes this movie for these elements or calls the viewers of it sick clearly didn't inform himself what kind of movie he was about to watch. Japanese yakuza movies are usually over-the-top, graphic and for mature audiences only. This is what makes them stand out.Ichi the Killer tells the story of a mentally unstable killer who seems to be manipulated via hypnosis and psychological torture by a lowly yakuza named Jijii who orders him to take out two rival yakuza gangs. Sadomasochistic hitman Kakihara wants to avenge his deceased boss but also desires meeting the killer in order to be domineered and tortured by him.If you think that this movie is only filled with perverted brutality, you've got it all wrong. The film features a lot of cultural elements related to yakuza traditions such as yubitsume, a ritual to atone for offenses by performing self-mutilation. The filming techniques are very experimental, working with unusual camera angles and stop-and-go technology. The authentic settings in form of dirty back alleys, small apartments and shady bars clash with flashy costumes as the sadomasochistic hitman walks around in colorful suits while the unstable killer wears a costume with special hidden weapons. The film works a lot with colors and their symbolism with white standing for the loss of childish innocence, black for darkness and red for violence. The experimental and vivid soundtrack blends in perfectly.The greatest element about this movie might be its stunning finale that actually offers some food for thought. It isn't immediately obvious what actually happens, how it occurs and what the consequences are. Personally, I believe Ichi the Killer, lowly yakuza Jijii and prostitute Karen are one and the same person with multiple-personality disorder since they share the same memories at times but there are many possible theories. No matter how you think about the film's outcome, it's something you will still be thinking about long after you have actually watched the movie.In the end, I can recommend the movie if you are equally interested in Japanese culture, brutal gangster films and intellectual film-making. Ichi the Killer stimulates your brain, your guts and your heart. It's an unforgettable experience based upon a unique manga and directed by one of the best directors of all times.

Anssi Vartiainen Takashi Miike has taken an already gory and upsetting manga series of the same name by Hideo Yamamoto and turned it into one of the most notorious gory Japanese films ever made. The story goes that a mob boss has been literally torn apart by a mysterious killer. One of his enforcers, Kakihara (Tadanobu Asano), sets out to find his killer, but given that Kakihara is about as sane as a cuckoo clock factory, and a sadomasochist to boot, things inevitable don't work out nice and neatly.Ichi the Killer was banned in many countries upon its initial release, and I can definitely see why. It's absolutely brutal in a way that steps way outside the realm of good taste. There's guts flying every which way, not to mention blood being pumped around is if from a high-pressure water hose. There's also masturbation, prostitution, drugs, criminal acts of all varieties, et cetera, et cetera. Pretty much all the main characters are mentally ill, one way or another, and the film truly feels like a direct to film manga adaptation in a way few films do. There are multiple scenes, which I could see happening in a manga, but which really should have been cut from the film version.But then again, such honesty to one's source material is almost to be admired. As are the huge brass ones required to even direct a film such as this. Because it is a great experience if you're into gore. Not only for the imagery, but for the fact that the story itself works in the confines of the film. Which is a huge plus for a gorefest such as this one.Ichi the Killer is an acquired taste, but if it is to your liking, then it's definitely worth checking out.

lois-lane33 I knew of the actor who plays the part of Ichi The Killer from another film called Fallen Angels where he also plays a killer connected to organized crime in Asia. Aside from that actors performance, the film is pretty much a dud and is also probably the grossest and bloodiest film I've ever seen in my entire life and that is really saying something. Typically bad acting is here aplenty-a thing that often mars Asian cinema in films like Old Boy and a number of other pseudo martial arts epics that have come out of Asia in the past decade or so. There isn't much special or even good about this movie-in many ways it is the personification of 'hack cinematography.' Nobody survives in the film or learns anything at all making it a real black journey in the true sense of the concept. Don't waste your time with this crap. In case you are interested the guy on the poster isn't 'Ichi The Killer'-he's is a crime lord of some type in the film who is being targeted by Ichi's rival organization.