Review of Ichi the Killer (2001) by Cale R — 27 May 2009

I really had to watch this twice to take in everything that I had seen the first time around. The storyline jumps around quite a bit along with flashbacks so it does get confusing and that alone could turn-off a viewer.

With that said, I thought this was a pretty cool flick. It's ultra-violent with copious amounts of blood and gore, but it's stylized (think "Kill Bill"). For me, there was only one particular scene that made me wince and it was because it was done nice and slow to achieve that affect on viewers.

I was a bit confused by the ending but believe me, you'll find plenty of interpretations (checkout IMDB). After reading a few and watching the film a second time around, I was pleased and able to really appreciate the movie.

This film is definitely not for everyone but I do recommend seeing it. There is a prequel called Ichi-1 aka Ichi the Killer 2 that is worth seeing. The storyline is much easier to follow, less gore, not as OTT, but still manages to tweak the pysche.