One of the key films in the career of Takashi Miike and modern Japanese cinema, Ichi the Killer takes a crime story and puts it through such a thick layer of sadism, masochism and body horror that there’s nothing else like it. A long, kinetic film that’s well-made, but full of creatively violent images that convey a feeling of pain that’s fun to watch… if you’re looking for this kind of thing.
A yakuza lieutenant looking for his missing boss is on a collision course with a brainwashed young man tricked into a life of vengeance. Even those familiar with Miike would put this on his extreme end, with full credit for never playing a scene straight. (One moment that called for a bloodhound, the dog is replaced by a man on a leash because Miike didn’t want to be at the mercy of a dog’s behavior.) This heightened creativity makes for a layered and sophisticated story, rather than just a parade of grotesque images.
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