Ichi the Killer (2001)

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.

Director:

Takashi Miike

Writers:

Sakichi Sato (screenplay), Hideo Yamamoto (manga)

Stars:

Tadanobu Asano, Nao Ohmori, Shin'ya Tsukamoto

6 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tadanobu Asano	...	Kakihara
Nao Ohmori	...	Ichi (as Nao Ômori)
Shin'ya Tsukamoto	...	Jijii
Paulyn Sun	...	Karen (as Alien Sun)
Susumu Terajima	...	Suzuki (as Sabu)
Shun Sugata	...	Takayama
Tôru Tezuka	...	Fujiwara
Yoshiki Arizono	...	Nakazawa
Kiyohiko Shibukawa	...	Ryu Long (as Kee)
Satoshi Niizuma	...	Inoue
Suzuki Matsuo	...	Jirô / Saburô
Jun Kunimura	...	Funaki
SABU	...	Kaneko (as Hiroyuki Tanaka)
Moro Morooka	...	Coffee Shop Manager
Hôka Kinoshita	...	Sailor's Lover

Storyline

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?

---

Plot Keywords:

pain | face cut off | breasts | exploitation | art censorship | 

---

Taglines:

Ai wa, kanari itai. (Love really hurts.)

---

Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Horror | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong perverse violence/gore and sexuality, language and drug content

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese Cantonese English

Release Date:

25 July 2002 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

Ichi the Killer

Filming Locations:

Tokyo, Japan

Box Office

Budget:

$1,400,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,750, 12 November 2017

Gross USA:

$20,285

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$80,631

Company Credits

Production Co:

Omega Project, Omega Micott Inc., Alpha Group

Technical Specs

Runtime:

129 min 117 min (heavily cut) 110 min (heavily cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In January 2009, The Norwegian Media Authority learned of this incident. Based on the incident and on the assessment that its infliction of violence "is potentially harmful to children and adults" the film was banned in Norway. Any person caught screening or selling the film in Norway can face arrest with possible fines or imprisonment.

---

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.

---

Quotes

Kano: Older Brother Kakihara, you were in love with Boss Anjo, weren't you? But it wasn't because you were queer or admired him or something. It was because you loved the pain you felt when he beat you up. That's why you're looking for him so hard, isn't it?

---

Crazy Credits

End credits scroll up, down, left, right, forwards and backwards.

---

Alternate Versions

The unrated DVD from Media Blasters says the running time is 124 minutes, but it is actually the full 129.

---

Connections

References Dead or Alive (1999)

User Reviews

Takashi Miike at his best

Ichi (Nao Omori) is a disturbed and brainwashed killing machine who dresses up in a superhero costume and is controlled by his mentor named Jijii (Shinya Tsukamoto).

Kakihara (Asano Tadanobu) is a sadistic gangster who loves three things: giving and being given pain and looking for the killing machine named Ichi, the person who killed his boss and ran away with his three-hundred million yen. His quest with looking for the mysterious Ichi causes the streets to become a battleground with the gangs of Shinjuku. As the film goes by, the battle with the gangs of Shinjuku becomes more gory than ever.

ICHI THE KILLER is a rare film that we get these days. It contains good cartoon like violence, humour so black yet it would make people laugh, an awesome soundtrack and great makeup effects. Sure, it may not be for everyone but for those that are open-minded or are Miike fans and want to watch something different, this film would be for them.