Ichi the Killer

Here we have a masterpiece. I was called up by my brother and the conversation went something like this:

My brother: “So there’s this movie I just saw. Ichi the killer. I’ve never seen anything like it. You’ll definitely love it, man. Trust me.”

Me: “Yeah? What’s it about?”

My brother: “Hmm. Well, there is this killer who runs around in a super-hero suit and gets a boner when watching people hurt each other. He is kinda hunted by this Yakuza crime guy with Joker-like cuts on his face.”

Me: “You mean a Glasgow smile…”

My brother: “What? Sure. But seriously, man. This movie is good. Like, you’ll definitely love it.”

And so I did. This is one of my favorite movies I saw this year. I recommend it only to those who are daring cinemaphiles. It is truly a masterpiece of shock-cinema. I wanted to stand up and clap.

The film is about sadomasochism…I think? It follows Kikihara, a Yakuza grunt who has the Joker-like cuts on his face. In one of the most extraordinary sequences I’ve seen in the past few years, Kikihara takes the rings out of his mouth so his Glasgow smile can expand with his cuts, he gets punched, and catches the fist in his mouth.

I almost teared up with joy.

I don't know where this picture came from, wherever it did, thanks.

Moreover, Kikihara is asked to investigate the murder of his boss and the killer turns out to be one of the weirdest characters I’ve ever seen.

I won’t go into the plot more because contextually it might sound too ludicrous and turn potential viewers off from the film. The plot is not important, what is important is the execution of some of the most enjoyable/ludicrous/fun/vomit-inducing scenes I’ve ever witnessed.

Takashi Miike, in my eyes, went from being an obscure, Japanese, B-film director, to a true auteur. I haven’t been as excited about a movie since I came across an (at-the-time) obscure film called Battle Royale. Another masterpiece of Asian cinema.

One of the finest moments from Ichi involves a scene where Ichi, a murderer, is spying on a man brutalizing a prostitute. He is sexually aroused by this act. Ichi slices the man in half in defense of the prostitute…or wait…maybe not in defense? He proceeds to explain to the prostitute that he wants to beat her up too, the audience thought he was kind, but the scene shifts from heroic, to murderous, to slap-stick, to just utterly bizarre. It might be the best scene ever in a film of this kind. I say this with irony, there may not be films of this kind.

Release Date: 2001

I say: A+

You’ll say: Who knows?