A senseless movie I don't understand the hype about this move with all these positive reviews. This is one senseless Japanese stuff which is not enjoyable in any way. The DVD transfer is poor or may be this is the best they could get. Not even worth a rental. I regret wasting my money on it.
Gorenography (with a story) Rate this triple GGG--G for gore.
Of course, GGG is not a rating; just as XXX is not a rating.) With a XXX film you know what you are getting. You know what you will be fast-forwarding through and fast-forwarding to. Will that happen with this GGG film? Will you fast forward through this warring gang film with its blond, split-cheek, half-tongue pyschopath antagonist and its traumatized, weeping, killing-machine pyschopath protagonist just to get to the gore?
And what hardcore gore: what face-off, split-down-the-middle, big-a** fishhook-boiling-oil torture gore.
I grow (not prudish) but squeamish.
A must have! Wild. Wild. WILD!!!!
Takashi Miike influenced Tarantino and Rodriguez. See why.
It's so wrong - I love it You get the point - violence, real gore & a lot of blood. It's a masterpiece about the total opposite of "normality"
number one killer! Takashi Miike has single handedly revitalized my interest in film. From start to finish this movie will keep your eyes glued to the screen.
there are multiple Yakuza factions sharing territoy throughout the city. when the leader of the Anjo gang(along with all their money) disappears things are bound to get crazy, and believe me, they do.
most of the characters are far from believable, the line between pleasure and pain is severely blurred for many characters. everything and everyone about this universe is just so extreme and depraved you cant help but watch, dying to see what happens next.
Ichi isnt fully revealed until about 40 minutes into the movie. the first half is spent watching Kakihara(cover art) trying to discover the cause of his bosses disappearance. not that its any less entertaining. i actually prefer the first half of the movie over the second.
Kakihara is one interesting character. maybe the most extreme sado masochist ever put on film. he is ruthless, and seemingly crazy, but he has greater understanding of himself and what he does than anyone else in the movie.
Ichi is simply insane. he is very quiet and shy normally, but when he gets angy enough, he cant resist the urge to kill. he quickly becomes an unstoppable killing machine when he dawns his costume with the number 1 on his back. (ichi is japanese for 1)
This movie is filled with things that will probably offend most movie-goers. Torture, rape, and self-mutilation just to name a few. not to mention gallons and gallons of blood and severed limbs/organs.
from the very interesting characters all around(esp. Kakihara, he's just too cool) to the interesting cinematography with enough effects to satisfy any gorehound this movie simply must be seen (5/5)