stjeanclaudel Amazingly funny and horrific! There's a complete artistic side to it and I love it!

kaseshin Rarely am I so conflicted on a film I dislike like "Ichi the Killer", but I guess that's appropriate for a movie that tries so much. I appreciate its attempt at marrying sadomasochism and abuse with tropes of yakuza films, slasher flicks, exploitation revenge fantasies, and superhero stories. There's some creative kills, trippy editing, and the theme of pain cycling between danger and pleasure is present. But how it's reflected in the story comes off as convoluted, overindulgent, and inconsistent in tone. The portrayal of sexual violence flip flops between cartoonish and disturbing, robbing it of impact despite it's notorious reputation. Ichi and Kakihara overshadow pretty much any character in terms of relevance (even Ichi's handler), yet only one of them has a fully-fleshed out arc. And while the plot points all tie together, it's done in a way that kills any momentum it built during its stretched-out runtime to where the climax is just one pathetic joke. Some of my complaints could be excused with "it's a black comedy", but in execution I found I was laughing at the movie rather than with it.

MattBirk Overall, Ichi The Killer is a long and tedious film, the movie would have received a lower score if it was not for its extremely unique plot, which I loved. Though it is a bit grotesque and unusual, it was something that seemed right up my alley (I enjoy high concept horror movies). The main character is as bizarre as they come, which is great, if it weren't for Kakihara, the movie would have been flat out terrible. His growing excitement towards Ichi is great, the more he gets anxious and excited, the more we are pulled in as a viewer. But a film with so much potential is squandered by the disappointing character known as Ichi, he is so over the top that it completely ruins the character. I hated everything about his character, from the actor who plays him, to his excessive jitteriness, and to his convoluted past. This is where the movie lost me as a viewer, so much relied on this character and I couldn't buy into it. Before the two characters meet, we are given glimpses of Ichi and for me, they were nothing but disappointing. And as the for the climax where they finally meet, I should have known the movie would throw a curveball (it is Miike after all). But what you can say about the movie is that Miike has a very unique style, which is bittersweet, I can appreciate and admire it, but I don't always enjoy it (like the case with Ichi the Killer).

Scott LeBrun It's easy to see why some people would hold Takashi Miike's "Ichi the Killer" in high regard. It's an ultra violent comic book come to life, with plenty of hip, high style filmmaking from the director and his crew. It's a powerful experience, but a minimalist one: some viewers are likely to be completely turned off, especially considering the fact that the women here don't fare too well. Still, this is effective audacious entertainment from Miike, a man who clearly believes in the adage of "anything goes". The story is anything but predictable, and dwells on such themes as sadism and masochism. There are tons of deliciously over the top gore gags, of both the practical and digital variety.Tadanobu Asano stars as Kakihara, a mobster who's coldly determined to find out who is responsible for the disappearance of his crime boss, Anjo. You see, Kakihara loves inflicting pain, and having it inflicted upon himself, and nobody could abuse him like his boss did. While this is going on, a young man named Ichi (Nao Omori) is going around ridding the world of bullies; Ichi has a particular hatred for this kind of person. At least, that would seem to be the case.This would have to rate as must viewing for any fan of hardcore action *and* horror, and for anybody who likes to watch movies for the violence. This is a very insane and very brutal film. Miike takes a couple of minutes to ease us into the story, in the meantime dazzling us with a plethora of quick imagery. He gets deeply committed performances out of his well chosen cast. Asano and Omori are both excellent, as are Shin'ya Tsukamoto and the lovely Paulyn Sun. It isn't long until characters in this tale begin to be tortured, and some of this torture is hard to watch indeed.By the time this is over, the overall effect is rather wearying.Seven out of 10.