Ichi the Killer - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Ichi the Killer


Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


​

Movie
It wasn’t more than a few weeks ago that I was sitting down and reviewing Takashi Miike’s 100th film, Blade of the Immortal, and reminiscing about Ichi the Killer and how Blade was a throwback to the gore and violence of Ichi. That being said, if you’ve seen Blade of the Immortal and think to yourself “oh, I can handle that type of blood and gore”, then think again. Ichi the Killer is the epitome of a niche audience film, and it is by FAR Takashi Miike’s most visceral and bloody film to date. I have always enjoyed the hardcore nature of many Asian films, but the Japaneses take it to a whole other level in that regard, and Takashi Mike doesn’t shy away from making it a bloodbath of EPIC proportions. I still remember the first time I watched the 2001 film for the first time. I was at a friend’s house for a group “movie night” and someone decided it would be a smart idea to pull out this new film called Ichi the Killer and play a drinking game with it. Every time someone got skewered, stabbed, had a limb cut off, or was beaten bloody. We had to take a drink. I still remember getting hammered out of my mind about 30 minutes in, with my friend hanging onto the door frame with a shot glass in his hand yelling out “Ichi, find a reasonable solution!”.

It’s a hard thing trying to explain a 129 minute film that has the plot line of “bad guy is being hunted by mysterious killer”. To put it succinctly, Ichi the Killer is an experimental gorefest film that uses extreme violence as a sort of shock value splatter fest decrying the nature of violence in films and media today. In a sadistic sort of way, it’s Takashi Miike’s love and hate letter to all of the violence in our cinema today, disgusting us with the over the top portrayal of it, and reveling in the ludicrous hilarity of all as well. You can’t help but be disgusted by the insane hyper violence, but the entertainment in the film comes from it being SOOOOOO over the top to almost comical in nature.

When the leader of the Anjo Yakuza clan ends up missing, the clan figures that he’s skipped town with 300 million yen and his girlfriend. Kakihara (Tadanobu Asono), a brutal assassin in the Anjo clan, doesn’t believe his boss could do that. So, in typical assassin fashion, he begins carving a swathe through the rival clans trying to find out what happened to his boss (while LITERALLY carving up just about everyone in his way). As he digs through the bodies and the clues, he starts to unravel the mystery of his boss’s disappearance. Through his tortures and interrogations, Kakihara runs into the work of a mysterious (and brutal) killer who goes by the name of Ichi who seems to have ties to his boss.

Simultaneously we are introduced to a young man named Ichi (Nao Ohmori). A man who was traumatized as a youth and carries with him a violent tendency that comes into play whenever he sees something that he views as injustice (or when they highlight his own inadequacy). Looked after by an old man named Jijii, Ichi is used as a manipulated pawn in a much larger game, wreaking utter havoc midst the Yakuza clans. Jijii brilliantly controls the entire situation, using Ichi like a tool, paving the way for Kakihara and he to meet in a showdown of bloodthirsty proportions.

I’m a huge fan of Asian cinema, and I LOOOOVE Takashi Miike’s works. He’s known for his bloody violence and stylized use of gore to paint visual masterpieces, but Ichi the Killer is his most unique film yet. It’s an experimental gorefest that is so over the top as to hilarious, yet so poignant that you have to sit back with a sober mind and contemplate our culture. The opening shots make one think that this is nothing but a bloody grindhouse film ala Tarantino on Japanese steroids, but as you watch the characters and their missions coalesce to create something truly fascination. Now, I’m not going to say that Ichi is for everyone. Not in the SLIGHTEST. Just like Saw, Hostel and Eli Roth or Rob Zombie movies are to horror fans, Ichi the Killer is to grindhouse action fans. It’s bloody, disgusting, raw, and horrifying tongue in cheek all at once. The average person won’t be attracted to it for the most part, but it has garnered itself one of the largest cult followings in modern Japanese cinema for a reason, and that falls squarely on the shoulder’s of Takashi Miike.

The one thing that I really must say is that Takashi Miike has done an absolutely PHENOMENAL job of sticking to the original Manga novels. Blade of the Immortal did a good job of presenting a graphic novel to screen interpretation, but Ichi is near flawless in its presentation. It somehow seamlessly incorporates all of the bizarre hijinks of the Manga without making it feel episodic or stilted in nature. I’m not saying that this is the reason for appreciating Takashi Miike’s bloody film, but rather it’s something to appreciate in a world where comics and graphic novel’s are butchered and hacked up to go from page to screen.




Rating:

Not Rated by the MPAA




Video:

Fans of the film have already been privy to the horrific Tokyo Shock Blu-ray that was released back in 2010. The video was simply ABYSMAL, garnering a 1/5 up to a 2/5 from most reviewers. I personally put it at 1.5/5 and I’m usually rather generous with my video scores. This was just simply TERRIBLE. Now, before I go on I must say that Ichi the Killer is not going to be a visually stunning film in any format. It’s a grindhouse flick that was shot on a shoestring budget and looks gritty, grungy, and plain dirty at times. Still, the Tokyo Shock release was a smeary mess that looked awful. Well Go USA went back and did a full 4K restoration to the film and it look light years better as a result. As I said in my disclaimer, Ichi the Killer is never going to look amazing, but this new restoration is really impressive for what it is. I'd like to give it a higher score, and the difference between this and the Tokyo Shock disc is enormous, but Ichi the Killer just isn't going to be a visually appealing film when compared to the shiny digital films of today, or even a high end blockbuster film from the 80s.

One thing I noticed in the gray and green saturated film is that a lot of the film grain appears to be gone. I’m not sure if Well Go USA filtered the release, or if something went on in the mastering process, but Ichi looks a bit too smooth for its own good. Best way of describing it is comparing it to some older Paramount and Universal titles catalog titles where they got ahold of the DNR knob. Still, the film is a huge improvement, with details galore that were not seen until now. The gray film is bathed in shadows, and the colors tend to look deep and dark, with maroon blood, and little swathes of purple halos. I did notice some banding (something Well Go USA is known for) that came and went, but while I have some complaints, this is a revelation for how the film has always been seen on home video.


.



Audio:

I was a bit saddened to see that the English dub from the Tokyo Shock Blu-ray release was missing from this edition, but as an audio purist I wasn’t too perturbed (other fans may be less forgiving in that regard) by the situation. The 5.1 DTS-HD MA Japanese track is a solid mix, but one that is also a bit underwhelming for an action film such as this. The mix is a bit anemic, with decent vocals and a solid front sound stage, but one that is severely lacking in the surround department. It’s a front heavy mix that just feels a bit soft and constrained. LFE is mild, but it does add some punch here and there.









Extras:

• Audio Commentary with Director Takashi Miike & Manga Artist/Writer Hideo Yamamoto
• Still Gallery
• Original Trailer

Final Score:
​

Ichi the Killer comes to Blu-ray from Well Go USA with much improved video and audio, but sadly it also cuts out most of the special features that the Tokyo Shock Blu-ray was given high props for. So it’s one of those situations where fans of the film may want to get BOTH releases (or keep their DVD), as the original one has vastly superior extras, while the Well Go USA 4K remaster of the film is obviously the better where it counts (visually and auditory speaking that is). As for the film itself, I’m giving this a 3/5 not because it’s mediocre, but because I can’t just say “hey, great film!, go out and see it!”, as this is not a movie for the uninitiated to Takashi Miike. It’s gory, bloody disgusting, and a total Japanese grindhouse film at its core. Which makes it a very niche film that only certain audiences are going to enjoy, similar to how films like Saw, Hostel or Rob Zombie’s films are hailed among the horror community.



Technical Specifications:

Starring: Tadanobu Asano, Nao Ohmori, Shin'ya Tsukamoto
Directed by: Takashi Miike
Written by: Sakichi Sato (Screenplay), Hideo Yamamoto (Manga)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 AVC
Audio: Japanese: DTS-HD MA 5.1, Japanese DD 2.0
Subtitles: English
Studio: Well Go USA
Rated: NR
Runtime: 104 minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: March 20th, 2018

Recommendation: Cult Film for Cult Fans

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I will have to find this one and check it out.