As June pulls to a close, we conclude “Asian Cinema is fricking crazy” with a movie that might embody that theme more than any movie in history. Heck, it might just embody the last two words better than any other movie in history. Coming from the utterly demented mind of Takashi Miike, “Ichi the Killer” is easily one of the most controversial films of the last decade, and with good reason. Consisting of a hyper stylized visceral barrage of over the top gore, torture and rape, which hangs loosely on a threadbare skeleton of inconsequential plotting and that boasts a madman’s sense of logic. Whilst all this is certainly true, as Ichi the Killer is incredibly grotesque and overwhelmingly sadistic, beneath the surface lurks a fierce intelligence, albeit a psychotic one, which attempts to make an intellectual point through antagonizing and unapologetically provoking its viewer rather, than any kind of given subtlety. By all means, this movie is not for any one with an aversion to violence of any amount.
Interested yet? Hit the jump for more.
As I said, the initial plotting of the movie is fairly inconsequential and thus goes a little like this: in a Yakuza syndicate, the Anjo clan has suffered the loss of their head leader. Kakihara, Anjo’s right hand man, sets out on a quest to find his boss (regardless of the evidence that says he’s dead). Things begin to turn for the worst when a group of men that was once affiliated with their syndicate but kicked out set their eyes on seeing the Anjo Clan’s complete annihilation. To make thing’s worse, they’ve got the mysterious and extremely deadly killer Ichi on their tales. Will the Anjo Clan survive through Ichi’s slaughter? Can they defy their gloomy fate?
OK, as always with most films, there’s gonna be those that hate the film and call it crap, and those who celebrate the film and call it a masterpiece. Ichi is no doubt one of those films. Already infamous for it’s extreme display of violence and gore, Ichi proceeds to shock and disturb audiences and bring them to a whole new level of queasiness. This movie is littered with body parts, stuffed with sexual violence, dumped with humanly insides, saturated with insane murders and finished off with a sprinkle of really graphic dialog (oh yes, even the dialog in this film can make you uncomfortable). In the first five minutes, you’re treated to one of the most brutal displays of woman beating ever. From then on, different acts of violence and images of grizzly scenes follow until the end of the film. Yes, there is a myriad of violence in this film, but is it all necessary? Like most other films that contain violence that can par up with this movie’s degree, it’s usually done in a distasteful manner and for simple exploitation. However (and this is a huge however), what saves Ichi from being just another violent exploitation film are the moments in-between the acts of violence (and sometimes during) and the context and deeper meaning they hold.
Miike may not have intended to do so, but in Ichi, he’s done perhaps the best work at unraveling a tortured soul ever filmed. Ichi is in deep denial of what he really is. He is a true and pure sadist and his body is sexually aroused by what he does, but he can’t understand why because he loathes killing. Throughout the movie, you watch his transformation from a scared and confused caterpillar, to a matured and accepting butterfly. It’s one of the most splendid psychological roller coasters ever to be captured on film. But the beautiful dementia of the human psyche is not limited just Ichi my friends, no sir.
This film introduces you to an amazing cast of characters that you won’t soon forget. From the bizarre Kakihara to the happily twisted detectives Jiro and Saburo, Ichi has some competition for most memorable character. Very easily however, Kakihara surpasses Ichi for the spot. Ichi got to get his name in the title, Kakihara got to strut his stuff and steal Ichi’s show in the movie. He shows up much more than the title character and that isn’t such a bad thing.
Portraying a S&M yakuza, Tadanobu Asano brings this disturbing lunatic to life with style and attitude. Maybe had Asano not been cast as Kakihara, he wouldn’t be burned into your mind. But since he did, he’s burned it so deep in our heads that smoke is puffing out our ears. This guy is the epiphany of bad-ass. He makes THE most stupendous entrance a character could make. I won’t ruin the surprise, but try and stay quiet when he appears. Really, don’t make a single noise when he first shows up on screen, it’ll be a little bet between you and me. Kakihara’s got a few screws lose in his head as well. Throughout the film he may seem like the hard-ass that no one should mess with, but looking at him closer, he’s just a lonely little boy looking for true happiness (but in his own messed up way). Also in this elite cast we have the ever so lovely prostitute Karen, the manipulative Jijii (who really packs a punch), the kind-hearted Kaneko left with no option but to be a yakuza bodyguard, the tired and old Takayama, the colorful and hilariously bizarre corrupt detective Jiro and Saburo, the horny Long, the vengeful and pissed Suzuki, and the list goes on and on. Anyone who has screen time and lines in this movie really takes it as an opportunity to shine.
As well as being violent and unpleasant, Ichi the Killer is a nihilistic, cynical film. Whereas most Japanese films concerned with the Japanese underworld extol the values of loyalty and brotherhood, Miike shows them as a shallow, selfish lot driven solely by their desires. The only loyalty on display here is as a direct result of fear, or as a means for personal gain. This theme is crystallized in the character of Kakihara, who quite clearly does not care for anyone apart from himself, and for whom almost every act he commits is motivated by his own desires, often in a fashion that borders on being masturbatory.
There are no truly positive characters in the film whatsoever, a fact which further defines the film as an antagonistic, visceral assault. This is not to suggest that the film is underwritten, as it does have a very strong sense of characterization that is generally lacking in extreme cinema. The characters of Ichi and Kakihara are very well written, and the film spends a great deal of time exploring their psychosis, and though perhaps not offering concrete explanations for their behavior, or indeed portraying them as realistic human beings, it at least presents them as fascinating, complex individuals. Similarly, the relationships in the film are surprisingly intricate, if not as a result of the plotting, which is at best melodramatic, then through their interactions. Although these are generally driven by self-interest, a number of them are actually quite touching, such as that between Ichi and one of Kakihara’s goons.
Thematic concerns and violent content aside, Ichi the Killer is a very well directed film, and one which is drenched with Miike’s unique style. He uses a wide variety of camera tricks, and keeps everything moving at such an incredibly kinetic pace, that the film as a whole come across as being highly energetic. This dynamism, coupled with Miike’s provocative approach to the material, makes watching the film an almost invigorating experience, where the viewer barely has time to catch their breath.
Though it could be seen to be disappointing, the conclusion does not take away from what is an undeniably exhilarating experience, and Ichi the Killer is one of the most exciting Japanese films of the last few years. Is this a movie for everyone? No. Oh dear God no. Subconsciously, the movie is a success. Miike has produced something which shocks, startles and makes the audience truly think, which is no mean feat in such jaded times. Unfortunately, the outer focus of the movie is so polarizing that one simply can’t recommend this movie to everyone. It’s bloody, violent, dehumanizing, offensive and ultimately depressing to watch. I myself can only admit to watching the movie three times as that’s actually all that I can personally take of it–and if you’re a regular follower of this column, then you know what I like to watch. That’s a bit of a shame, as there really is a beautiful animal in this morbid mess.