Ichi The Killer (2001) - A Review

Ichi The Killer lives up to its infamously gory and perverse reputation.

Ichi The Killer is a crime drama/horror movie released in Japan in 2001 and stars  Tadanobu Asano, Nao Ōmori, Paulyn Sun, Shinya Tsukamoto, Shun Sugata, Hiroyuki Tanaka, Jun Kunimura, Suzuki Matsuo, and Hiroshi Kobayashi. It was directed by Takashi Miike, and is based on the Ichi The Killer manga series by  Hideo Yamamoto.

Kakihara is one cruel bastard.

 In Ichi The Killer, Tadanobu Asano plays Kakihara, a cruel sadomasochistic enforcer in the Yakuza who is looking for his boss, named Anjo. Kakihara thinks Anjo may have left town with a prostitute and 3 million yen of the gang's money. Desperate to find his boss, Kakihara eventually finds out that Anjo may have been kidnapped by a rival gang. He viciously tortures rival Yakuza gang members to find out where Anjo is. He finds out that Anjo was killed by a man named Ichi, and that he (Kakihara) is a target as well. Kakihara is intrigued by this development.

 Ichi (played by Nao Ōmori) is a very psychologically disturbed man. He is meek and withdrawn, usually. He plays video games all day at the house of Jiji (played by Shinya Tsukamoto), his mysterious caretaker. The thing is, when Ichi becomes sexually aroused, he becomes a killing machine! Ichi thinks of the Yakuza members that he's brutally murdering as the kids who bullied him when he was in school. Things get kind of complicated when Ichi helps a kid, Takeshi (played by Hiroshi Kobayashi), who is being bullied at the apartment complex they live in. Takeshi is the son of Kaneko (played by Hiroyuki Tanaka), a former police officer who now works under Kakihara in the Yakuza. Kakihara has very selfish reasons for finding Anjo, and eventually meeting up with Ichi. Will it be all Kakihara hopes for?

Ichi is seemingly a nice guy. Just don't turn him on.

 Ichi The Killer's reputation preceded itself when I first heard of it in the early 2000s. I heard it was gory, it was violent, and it was perverted. Finally seeing it in 2023... it more than lives up to its reputation! I had a chance of buying the special edition DVD back in the day (it came packaged with a bag of blood), but I just couldn't buy it. I was too worried about what the people in Best Buy (an electronics store) would think of me if I bought that DVD. I have regretted not buying it ever since then, but after watching it, I realize I would not have been ready for it back then! This movie is brutal. There are gallons of blood throughout. There are some disturbing torture scenes (which made me cringe, and cringe in the original use of the word, not the current internet version). I was digging my nails into my arms during some scenes; it was just too brutal. There are rape scenes in this as well, so fair warning!

 Takeshi is the only purely good person in this movie. It is very hard to root for Ichi, as you find out who he is and what drives him. You can kind of root for him when he is in his more docile mode, and he is killing Yakuza members, but Ichi is just too messed up of a person to fully support. Kakihara, on the other hand, is one evil and sadistic gangster. Let's just say, his motives are sexually based as well. He is not above hurting or mutilating a person to get what he wants, including himself! Great performances from both Nao Ōmori and Tadanobu Asano.

Ichi The Killer is brutal. That is not water being poured on his back, by the way.

 There are a lot of violent acts in Ichi The Killer. Ichi is a skilled martial artist, but he does not take very long to kill his victims. He has a hidden blade in the heel of his boot, and when that connects, it's over! The special effects, both practical and CGI, are well done. Apparently one special effect (let's call it "man nectar") was actually the real thing, so... keep that in mind. If you love brutal, bloody, gory violence, this is the movie for you!

 So, should you watch Ichi The Killer? Despite the extreme violence, the perversity, and the hard to root for characters, I would say yes! This movie deals with some very interesting subjects, the acting is excellent, the plot is compelling, and it is never boring. I left a lot out of the movie synopsis, because there are a lot of surprise revelations that will help you understand where everyone is coming from. Once again, this movie is not for children, and viewer discretion is strongly advised. If you're willing to take the plunge, you're in for quite the wild ride! Takashi Miike made another modern classic with this one.

 

The special collector's edition of Ichi The Killer that I passed on buying. Really wish I bought it back then! I'll get the blu-ray, regardless.

 

 

 

 

 

Reviewed by David Williams 

Blade Of The Immortal (2017) - A Review

 

Takashi Miike directs another awesome movie.

Blade Of The Immortal is a samurai/action movie released in Japan in 2017, starring  Takuya Kimura, Hana Sugisaki, Sota Fukushi, Ichikawa Danjūrō XIII, Erika Toda, Chiaki Kuriyama, and Hayato Ichihara. It was directed by Takashi Miike (in what was advertised as his 100th movie), and is based on the manga, Blade Of The Immortal by Hiroaki Samura.

Takuya Kimura as Manji.

In Blade Of The Immortal, Takuya Kimura plays Manji, a swordsman on the run from the government and who is taking care of his mentally ill sister. A group of ronin capture his sister to lure Manji into a battle to collect the bounty on his head. The ronin do not keep their promise (you'll see what I'm talking about), so Manji fights and kills all of them, getting mortally wounded in the process. A mysterious old woman comes to Manji as he is dying, and he asks her to finish him off. Instead, she puts 'blood worms' into his wound, which begin to heal him...

Hana Sugisaki as Rin Asano.

Fifty two years later, a young girl named Rin Asano (played by Hana Sugisaki) witnesses her father being murdered and her mother being attacked and taken by Kagehisa Anotsu (played by Sota Fukushi) and his Ittō-ryū members. Rin promises on her father's grave to get revenge for his death and to find her mother. She eventually decides to hire Manji, who is now immortal, to kill the Ittō-ryū members and to be her bodyguard. Rin reminds Manji of his sister, so he naturally feels protective of her.

As Manji kills off Ittō-ryū members, this captures the attention of Kagehisa and his cohorts. They find out Manji is immortal, which makes him an even bigger target. Kagehisa wants the Ittō-ryū to become part of the shogunate, which their leader agrees to. Meanwhile, Manji and Rin agree to team up with another group to take down Kagehisa and the Ittō-ryū. Betrayals happen, and Rin also decides to take down Kagehisa by herself. An all out battle occurs between Manji, Kagehisa, and other groups! Will Rin finally get revenge?

Sota Fukushi as Kagehisa Anotsu (middle) with the Ittō-ryū.

Blade Of The Immortal is a pretty faithful adaptation of the manga, though the overall plot (the manga was 30 volumes) had to be condensed to fit into a two hour and twenty minute movie. The manga's author was satisfied with this movie, which says a lot about the director, Takashi Miike, and the quality of this movie. It is a great movie! Interesting plot, interesting characters, and awesome action. Takuya Kimura is excellent as Manji, a disgraced samurai who has been cursed with immortality. Though he is the hero, he is a killer. He does have a moral code, though, and he has justified reasons for killing his opponents. Though there is a darkness to Manji, he is still likable and easy to root for. Hana Sugisaki as Rin Asano is a driven young woman; she is a diligent martial artist who wants to use her skill to kill Kagehisa Anotsu. Even though she is strong, she is still vulnerable. She isn't strong enough to defeat Kagehisa yet, and she is highly emotional when it comes to Manji. Rin and Manji's relationship is interesting to watch unfold. Sota Fukushi as Kagehisa Anotsu is a complicated villain. You think he is pure evil, but you find out he has reasons for what he is doing. Still, what he did to Rin's parents was inexcusable (in my view), so he gained very little sympathy from me.

There is a lot of action in Blade Of The Immortal, and it is bloody and violent!

  There is a lot of action in Blade Of The Immortal! For some reason, I was not expecting that much action in this, but I was pleasantly surprised with how much action there is. A majority of the action is sword and weapons-based, and it is violent and bloody. There is a lot of blood spraying and limbs flying! The fights are very good, and some fights (especially the end battle) last a good, long time. Though Manji is immortal (he does get limbs cut off in battle), he is not impervious to pain. He suffers through his battles, and he has to recover after them. In his final battle, it does look like he has a chance of dying, so you are on the edge of your seat during that whole sequence. The fight scenes may not have that Hong Kong choreography, but they are still highly entertaining and exciting. Another cool thing about the movie and the fight scenes are that all of the major characters have different weapons that they use. Really adds to the action!

As you can imagine, I highly recommend Blade Of The Immortal. It really is a good movie, with a deeper than it seems plot, interesting characters, and awesome fight scenes. The cinematography is great, as well as the soundtrack (the ending theme is amazing). After watching Blade Of The Immortal, I am very interested in reading the manga! This is a manga-to-live action movie adaptation done right. Takashi Miike is truly a master at his craft.

Reviewed by David Williams

Dead Or Alive (1999) - A Review

 

Dead Or Alive is one dark, violent, and perverted movie.

Dead Or Alive is an action/thriller yakuza movie released in Japan in 1999 (and has nothing to do with the video game). It stars Show Aikawa, Riki Takeuchi, Renji Ishibashi, Susumu Terajima, and Michisuke Kashiwaya. Dead Or Alive was directed by the legendary Takashi Miike.

Show Aikawa as Detective Jojima. He is a troubled cop who will stop at nothing to capture the suspect.

In Dead Or Alive, Show Aikawa plays Detective Jojima, a cop who has been hired by Aoki (played by Renji Ishibashi) a Yakuza boss, to find the crooks who boldly stole money from his business. Detective Jojima takes the job because his daughter needs a life saving surgery that is very expensive. Detective Jojima, along with his partner Detective Inoue (played by Susumu Terajima), go through the Japanese underworld searching for clues about the gang and their ringleader...

Riki Takeuchi as Ryūichi. He is basically a manga/anime character come to life!

Riki Takeuchi plays Ryūichi, a very ambitious gangster who leads his group in a robbery of Yakuza boss Aoki's money. Ryūichi's gang is small, but they have been friends since childhood so they trust each other with their lives. During this time, Ryūichi picks up his younger brother Toji (played by Michisuke Kashiwaya), who has been going to college in the United States. They suffer a falling out after a betrayal occurs within the gang. Things deteriorate for Ryūichi and the gang from there...

Through a series of unfortunate events, they ultimately must end it face to face.

Detective Jojima gets on Ryūichi's trail, and even brings him into the police station for questioning. This meeting does not go well. Things between Jojima and Ryūichi continually escalate, until they have no choice but to end it all face to face.

I originally watched Dead Or Alive in the early 2000s after reading on Asian cinema message boards about how great it is. I remember not liking it that much, until the ending. The ending made it all worth it. Watching it now in 2022, it seems like a totally different movie from what I watched back then! I must have watched the R-rated edited version back then. That version had all of the extreme violence, perverse sexuality, and basically most of the personality edited out. I must say, the stuff that was edited out...I can understand. There is some gross stuff in this! There is some close to pornographic stuff in this movie as well. So, watch out for that if you're wanting to watch this movie.

What's great about Dead Or Alive is the pace. The scenes go by quickly, kind of bombarding the viewer with sex and violence at the start, then slows down as we get to know the characters. As everything escalates, the emotions of Jojima and Ryūichi come to a boil. When they face each other at the end, all the tension is released...and then perhaps the greatest ending to a movie ever happens. The movie may seem slow and meandering, but this is done for a reason. The ending is a total shocker! The performances of the two leads are excellent as well.

In conclusion, Dead Or Alive is a grim, gritty, hyper violent and hyper sexual movie with an amazing ending. This movie isn't for everyone! It should be seen for the ending alone. It is able to keep the viewer's interest throughout with sudden bouts of violence or shocking situations. So, if you are going to watch it, watch the unedited version (you could watch the edited version, but it is a lot less impactful), and stick with it to the end. Trust me, it's worth it. You will never forget that finale!

Reviewed by David Williams