ICHI THE KILLER (DVD) (R/JAP LAN/ENG SUB DVD

Ichi the Killer
Maverick auteur Takashi Miike spins this unsettling, blood-soaked yakuza yarn adapted from Hideo Yamamoto's cult manga Koroshiya 1. When mob don Anjo mysteriously disappears, his protégé Kakihara (Tadanobu Asano) vows to find the people responsible. Sporting a blond head of hair and a yawning, pierced slash for a mouth, Kakihara is no ordinary gangster and his methods are equally unorthodox; he impales one poor suspect's naked body on a series of meat hooks and then dumps hot oil on him. Meanwhile, a shadowy character known as Jijii (played by director Shinya Tsukamoto) deftly manipulates, for his own nefarious ends, Ichi (Nao Omori), an unbalanced but ruthless killing machine clad in a superhero suit. Pining for the sadistic abuse of his boss, Kakihara learns of Ichi from a Hong Kong hostess (Alien Sun) and sets out to find this fabled butcher, hoping he can inflict the pain that Kakihara craves. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival as a part of the Midnight Madness program. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

Cast Tadanobu Asano as Kakihara Nao Omori as Ichi Shinya Tsukamoto as Alien Sun as Sabu as

Crew Takashi Miike - Director Karera Musication - Composer (Music Score) Akiko Funatsu - Producer Dai Miyazaki - Producer Sakichi Sato - Screenwriter

Ichi the Killer
In Takashi Miike's freakishly intense world, the tormentor and the tormented are locked in a cycle of retribution and outlandish violence where torture, dismemberment, and evisceration are the norm. Crisply edited and employing some mind-boggling camera techniques, the film -- as in Miike's other works -- creates mordantly funny moments that are as pungent as they are memorable. At one point, Kakihara, as an act of atonement, cuts off his pierced tongue only to take a cell phone call immediately afterwards. At another, a cascade of blood, bowels, and body parts spills into a hallway immediately after Ichi enters a room. Yet for all of Miike's visual invention and wit, the film's dubious treatment of women might leave a bad taste in the mouth of the most hardened Asian cult film buff. Every woman in the flick is brutalized in a manner that borders on the pornographic (including rape and genital mutilation) and then killed. While some might be exhilarated by Miike's brilliant camera work and imagery, others might be inclined to take a bath. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
 

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General Specifications: Language Options: English, Japanese Subtitle Options: English Sound Processing: DD: Generic Dolby Digital (unspecified format) Additional Features: none specified DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1: Theatre Wide-Screen MPAA Rating: R DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 117 min   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- 1. Tokyo After Midnight 2. Imfamous Ichi 3. The Boss's Girl 4. You Look Fantastic Mr. Suzuki 5. Did It Hurt? 6. To Score the Boss 7. Visiting Hours 8. Ichi's Blade 9. The Syndicate's Decision 10. Tormented Boys 11. False Compassion 12. Brother? 13. Ichi's Calling 14. The Many Gemini 15. Sleuth Hound for Ichi 16. Revolution 17. Closer to Fate 18. Ichi Strikes 19. Destiny's Rooftop 20. Resolution