Review of Ichi the Killer (2001) by Benjamin E — 27 Aug 2008

A frenzy of sex, violence, drugs and psychological torment, this Japanese import will spin your head with its over-the-top style and larger than life characters. Performances are subdued in the wake of hideous acts of torture and sadism, all with a tongue firmly in cheek.

Even that metaphor is skewered when one flamboyant character cuts out his own tongue to amend an otherwise grave mistake. For fans of Tarantino's brand of shoot first, laugh later.