Ichi The Killer (2001) Takashi Miike

When a Yakuza boss named Anjo disappears with 300 million yen, his chief henchman, a sadomasochistic man named Kakihara, and the rest of his mob goons go looking for him. After capturing and torturing a rival Yakuza member looking for answers, they soon realize they have the wrong man and begin looking for the man named Jijii who tipped them off in the first place. Soon enough Kakihara and his men encounter Ichi, a psychotic, sexually-repressed young man with amazing martial arts abilities and blades that come out of his shoes. One by one Ichi takes out members of the Yakuza and all the while Kakihara intensifies his pursuit of Ichi and Ichi’s controller Jijii. What will happen as the final showdown happens between the tortured and ultra-violent Ichi and the pain-craving Kakihara?

Takashi Miike’s “Ichi the Killer” is a masterpiece of insane cinema. This film is surely challenging-filled with enough sadistic violence and rape to satisfy fans of Japanese harrowing cinema. It’s based on the popular manga by Hideo Yamamoto. The character of Ichi is truly amazing-he is a mysterious figure who slices various individuals into numerous bloody pieces with razor sharp blades strapped to his boots. The gore is pretty extreme as Ichi literally slices people in half with his razor-sharp boots. The acting is surprisingly good-Nao Omori and Tadanobu Asano are impressive as Ichi and Kakihara. Highly recommended,especially if you have strong stomach.

Ichi The Killer (2001)