Review of Ichi the Killer (2001) by Tameca C — 31 Oct 2012

Being based on the manga by Hideo Yamamoto and having the following it does, Ichi the Killer has set the standards for many modern classics. Examples being Saw, The Vengeance Trilogy, Kill Bill, The Chaser, I Saw the Devil, and presumably The Dark Knight. Miike is a very diverse director. Having directed horror movies, action movies, gangster films, comedies, dramas, children's films, and the like he really is good at almost anything he sets his mind to.

The story takes place in underground Shinjuku where Yakuza gangs dominate. A renegade detective named Jijii (Shinya Tsukamoto) is determined to turn them against one another and destroy the criminal underground. He does so by manipulating a psychologically tortured, yet talented martial artist named Ichi (Nao Omori) into murdering Anjo- the leader of the Anjo clan. 3,000,000 yen gets stolen at the site and the sadistically homicidal Kakihara (Tadanobu Asano) goes on a rampage across Shinjuku in hopes of finding Anjo's killer.

While on the search and believing that Anjo might still be alive Kakihara gets deceived by Jijii's false testimonies about the neighboring gangs. Kakihara begins attacking many of the Yakuza gangs until he learns of Ichi. After being expelled from the Syndicate and pointing to himself leader of the Anjo gang Kakihara sets out to find Ichi while fighting back against the gangs that try to carry out their revenge on him.

The plot is like a cross between The Dark Knight, The Chaser, and Oldboy. It presents itself in a mystery fashion, but its intrigue centers around how everything will play out and the thrills center around Jijii's plan to destroy the Yakuza. The whole plot is one big chase and the line between good and evil is blurred. There are also parts where we get some backstory to both Kakihara and Ichi, but the main focus is what their natures are making them do and the prices they pay as a consequence.

The movie combines elements of neo-noir, action, crime, horror, drama, and black comedy. The comedic elements center around its CGI effects. The effects in this movie are about as comedically rendered as Evil Dead one and two. The more infamous scene of this dynamic is Ichi's first killing where he slices Sailor's abuser in half using the blades built inside the boots of his ''superhero" costume. This scene was paid homage to in Kill Bill where Uma Thurman slices one of the Crazy 88s in the same fashion. The infamous tongue scene is also referenced in Park's classic Oldboy.

The performance of Tadanobu Asano as Kakihara is to him the way the Joker is to Heath Ledger and Kyung-jul is to Choi Min-shik. Tadanobu Asano has become a worldwide star and his performance as Kakihara is no exception to this fact. Due to their similar ambitions, behaviors, and designs, it's probably same to assume that Kakihara served as a precursor to Christopher Nolan's Joker in The Dark Knight.

The music is also well done. Each track is very diverse and sets different tones for the film. Some set an intense, energetic tone, while some set a dark and moody one. Neither one feels out of place and each benefits the movie nicely.

One major complaint that I have is that while the movie is intricately plotted there were times where I felt like the movie wasn't sure of what it wanted to be. Sometimes it plays like an action movie, some an exploitation film, other times a black comedy, and others a character study. While some of the dynamics play out fine in some areas, Ichi the Killer seemed so caught up in its own content it sometimes seemed like it didn't want to balance itself out.

Ichi the Killer has a lot of potential. I must acknowledge that if this movie weren't the hit it is, we probably wouldn't have the classics of today that I mentioned in this review. Miike can and has directed many great films. Most of what Ichi the Killer presents feels experimental. It does seem like Miike lays out blueprints for other directors through his movies so that they can analyze them, take influence, and make their classic pictures. Ichi the Killer and its influence is a prime example of this.

*Thanks for reading and Happy Halloween.