Ichi the Killer (2001)
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A psychologically damaged man is manipulated into becoming a weapon for feuding yakuza gangs while being hunted by a sadistic enforcer.
The story
A man named Ichi spies from a balcony, masturbating as he watches a pimp assault a prostitute. When discovered, he flees. Soon after, the sadistic yakuza boss Anjo is murdered. A cleaning crew led by Jijii disposes of the body and frames Ichi for the killing. Kakihara, Anjo's sadomasochistic lieutenant, inspects the spotless crime scene and assumes Anjo absconded with clan funds. He interrogates Karen, Anjo's girlfriend, and pursues false leads, eventually torturing Suzuki, a rival clansman. When Suzuki proves innocent, Kakihara cuts off his own tongue as atonement.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After being framed for the murder of yakuza boss Anjo, Ichi is pursued by Anjo's sadomasochistic lieutenant, Kakihara. Jijii, who manipulated the situation, uses Ichi as a weapon by implanting false memories, including a fabricated high school rape. Ichi, normally timid, becomes homicidal when enraged. Kakihara captures various targets, while Jijii manipulates a prostitute named Karen into seducing Ichi, leading him to kill her. The conflict culminates on a rooftop where Ichi, believing a man named Kaneko is his brother due to Jijii's psychological manipulation, slits Kaneko's throat. The traumatized son of Kaneko attacks Ichi, triggering a mental breakdown. Kakihara, overwhelmed by Ichi's screams, impales his own ears with skewers and dies from self-inflicted wounds while hallucinating Ichi's actions. Years later, Jijii's corpse is found hanging in a park, and a young man resembling Takeshi departs with children, leaving the cycle of violence unresolved.
- First release year
- 2001
- Runtime (minutes)
- 130
- Production countries
- Japan
- Original languages
- Japanese; English; Cantonese
- Directors
- Takashi Miike
- Writers
- Sakichi Satō · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Tadanobu Asano · Ichi; Nao Omori · Ichi; Shinya Tsukamoto; Alien Sun; Susumu Terajima; Shun Sugata; Toru Tezuka; Yoshiki Arizono
- Genres
- yakuza; splatter; crime; drama; action
- Themes
- violence and its relation to the media; consumption of the violent image; hypermasculine sphere of violence
- Tone and mood
- shocking; gorefest; stylish
- Premise and plot tags
- yakuza; psychopath; torture; manga adaptation
- Source material / true-story basis
- Hideo Yamamoto's manga series of the same name
- Franchise connections
- 1-Ichi
- Content notes
- cruelty
- Reception
- The film received mixed to positive reviews, described as a shocking gorefest that entertains those with a penchant for brutal violence. Critics noted its stylish narrative but some found the hectic pace overstimulating.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 55 · scale: 100 · review count: 10
- Production trivia
- Barf bags were given to viewers at the Toronto International Film Festival.; One viewer reportedly threw up and another fainted during the TIFF screening.; The film was banned in Norway and Malaysia and banned for distribution in Germany.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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