As sadomasochistic yakuza enforcer Kakihara searches for his missing boss he comes across Ichi, a repressed and psychotic killer who may be able to inflict levels of pain that Kakihara has only dreamed of achieving.
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Manji, a highly skilled samurai, becomes cursed with immortality after a legendary battle. Haunted by the brutal murder of his sister, Manji knows that only fighting evil will regain his soul. He promises to help a young girl named Rin avenge her parents, who were killed by a group of master swordsmen led by ruthless warrior Anotsu. The mission will change Manji in ways he could never imagine - ... See full summary »
A yakuza of Chinese descent and a Japanese cop each wage their own war against the Japanese mafia. But they are destined to meet. Their encounter will change the world.
In the ruthless underground world of the yakuza, no one is more legendary than boss Kamiura. Rumored to be invincible, the truth is he is a vampire-a bloodsucking yakuza vampire boss! Among... See full summary »
In the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill each other under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act.
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?Written by
Joseph
In the movie, Kakihara is a handsome-looking, young man with a slender and athletic body, donning flashy leisure suits with long satin jackets/coats. In the manga, Kakihara is originally a gruesome-looking, middle-aged man with an average and hairy body, donning a black two-piece suit w/black tie completed with thin shibari-ropes for undergarments. But the only characterists on Kakihara that didn't change in the movie are his countless piercings, his facial scars and his stylish shoes. See more »
Goofs
When Kakihara is attacked in the streets, protective padding is visible under his clothing. Look for it when he bends over backwards without falling over, before he removes his piercings. See more »
Quotes
Kakihara:
Listen, when you're giving pain to someone, don't think about the pain that person is feeling. Just concentrate on how good it feels to be causing someone pain. That's the best thing you can do for a true masochist!
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Crazy Credits
End credits scroll up, down, left, right, forwards and backwards. See more »
Alternate Versions
List of cuts to Hong Kong theater & DVD release:
2 Graphic shots of needles jammed through "hooks" victim, one through the cheek and the the other up through the chin. Close up of grease scalding victim and horrific 2nd grease pouring (over the head!) An additional 3rd needle is then jammed into his chest!
Bloody close up's of the "tongue cutting".
All of the drug lady's fingers are broken off, not only one!
2nd rape features additional punch to the face as well as shots of pimp thrusting into her. As pimp's body splits in half, there is additional shot (and classic sound effect) of his entrails pouring out. When Ichi slices the girl after killing the pimp, she turns her head to the side and a huge gash open's spraying blood as she thrusts around the room.
Extreme close up of "tv set" victim's eye socket.
Additional shots of "cheek pull" including excited looks between Kakihara & the girl.
The bloody face slides all the way down the wall after flying out of the room.
Scene of Kakihara picking up a string of guts and admiring it.
Long scene in which the thug saves Ichi from a beating and remember's his own beating. They then eat a meal together.
Horrific close up of kidnapped girl's nipples being pulled out with clamps and then sliced off with a knife! The later kicking of this girl goes on much longer.
During blowjob in apartment, earlier throat slicing is again cut from Ichi's flashback. Foot cutting is the same as H.K. but final slash to the throat in the hallway is much longer with more blood.
Close up shots of victim of "needle throwing". Same victim has his arm graphically ripped off.
Throat cutting on the rooftop is much longer with geisers of blood.
What can one say about Ichi the Killer? I do have to say, without a doubt, it is one of the most unique films I have ever seen. I was afraid going in, after hearing all of the hype, that it would be gore just for the sake of gore. But the way it is portrayed and the characters are what really drive the movie and make it stand out from other gorefests. It may be my sick personality, but I found myself laughing a lot throughout the movie. There is a lot of black humor in the film, which I enjoy. I would not consider this a horror movie by any means though, as I was not scared at all while watching it and it had none of the tendencies of a traditional horror film. The only thing that kept me from giving it 10 stars is the ending, which is a bit abstract, but I'm sure it was intended that way. But I would recommend this film to anyone, cause it's something everyone should experience. The only movie I could compare this to would be Dead Alive, and that is a very loose comparison. Just do yourself a favor and watch it.
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What can one say about Ichi the Killer? I do have to say, without a doubt, it is one of the most unique films I have ever seen. I was afraid going in, after hearing all of the hype, that it would be gore just for the sake of gore. But the way it is portrayed and the characters are what really drive the movie and make it stand out from other gorefests. It may be my sick personality, but I found myself laughing a lot throughout the movie. There is a lot of black humor in the film, which I enjoy. I would not consider this a horror movie by any means though, as I was not scared at all while watching it and it had none of the tendencies of a traditional horror film. The only thing that kept me from giving it 10 stars is the ending, which is a bit abstract, but I'm sure it was intended that way. But I would recommend this film to anyone, cause it's something everyone should experience. The only movie I could compare this to would be Dead Alive, and that is a very loose comparison. Just do yourself a favor and watch it.