Donnie Darko
01-10-2003, 10:07 AM
This is my review of the uncut edition of Takashi Miike's "Ichi the Killer".
Content: 9
Kakihara is the masochistic right hand man of the boss of the Anjo group, a yakuza group within the Shinjuku syndicate(spec. note, Shinjuku is a seedy part of Tokyo). The problem is, the boss has gone missing... and Kakihara has set out to find him. Meanwhile, another shadowy group, who is responsible for the disappearance of Kakihara's boss, is using their killing machine Ichi to dispose of the Yakuza. Unfortunately for them, Ichi has some pretty serious psychological problems.
The plot in the movie is so multilayered and full of surprises that it's hard to know what's coming next. Despite growing up watching Scooby Doo (the good Scooby, when that little bastard Scrappy hadn't shown up yet) and being a fairly good detective when it comes to guess what's going to happen next in films, this one had me guessing all the way through... and that's not a bad thing. There weren't any stupid plot twists that didn't make much sense (sans ending... I'm still not sure on that one), or mystery characters who came out of nowhere. The principle characters were the same group from beginning to end, although the movie really comes down to centering around Kakihara and Ichi. Now, there is some *SERIOUS* violence in this movie... Kakihara is a sadist/masochist (more masochist than sadist), and in his pursuit to find first his missing boss, and then Ichi, really puts your stomach to the test. First, this is a character who cuts his cheeks open from left to right and holds them together with two rings, so you know he's not going to let you down. A few of his exploits include bathing a victim (hanging from hooks) in hot temura oil, inserting long needles through a victims face, and slicing off his own tongue. Ichi is just as flashy, but I won't spoil it here.
Technical: 10
Takashi is in great form here, with some very cool establishing shots, and some really, really styling camera angles. I particularly enjoyed the opening scene where Ichi is riding through the streets of Tokyo on his bike. Takashi uses a number of jump cuts from 1st person view (on Ichi) with a very stylized perception of the city around him, to credits, and then to various other subjects (in a few he focuses in on the rear cassette of Ichi's bike as he shifts gears, and it just works really well for some reason). The director here knows his stuff, and you can really tell he puts a lot of work into making his movies a visual treat. (For anyone who's seen Penelope Sheeris' "Suburbia" and remembers the shot of the TR's walking down the street as a group, there is an AWESOME shot of the Anjo group doing the same shot in Tokyo )
Acting: 8
The actors in this movie all played their roles perfectly. Some people will say that they didn't have a lot to do, and there's a lot of throwaway characters, but my ratings are really based on what I think you should expect out of the movie you're watching (one would expect different performances from actors in say, a victorian period piece, no?). Kakihara's dual personality (sadist/masochist) is captured perfectly by Tadanobu Asano, who really looks/plays the part right. He's a villain who you can get a few chuckles from, and then immediately be horrified by what he does next. Nao Omori plays the psychological mess that is Ichi fairly believably. He really shows the characters inner turmoil and confusion about the world around him, while still making you never feel bad for Ichi at all. Ichi is not a good guy, and Nao doesn't ever let us think he is. The other actors in it plays their roles admirably, what little there is. I almost got the feeling that Takashi just picked these characters out of the Tokyo underworld and told them to act naturally, and that to me is the sign of great acting.
Sound: 8
The music director for Ichi should be proud. He manages to perfectly match the psychotic nature of the movie with an equally psychotic soundtrack. Background music is across the board, from a porno-type soundtrack to a drum&bass/house mix.
Other: 10
This is kind of a "tilt" category, how it might appeal to the weird in all of us. To quote Spinal Tap, I'd like to turn this up to 11 (But why don't you just make 10 bigger?). This is like an insane trip through a junkies "chocolate before bedtime" dreams. Anything that I bring up here is just going to spoil it for anyone, but I promise you, this one will satisfy that "other" in all of our personalities.
Overall: 9
I really, really enjoyed this movie. I've been a horror veteran for a long time, and while this isn't horror, I've heard about a lot of movies that are supposed to be so revolting blah blah blah, and to be honest, I'm always interested to see just how far a director will go. I've been dissapointed most of the time... and while Ichi isn't horrible (or horror really), there is such a solid movie around the violence (I don't condone violence, in any real form... that's why I watch movies!!! It's not real!!!) that it's not important. The crazy sadism that permeates the movie isn't as gratuitous as some might claim... It all seems to be appropriate for the film. Apart from all the fun stuff, there does seem to be an underlying message coming from Takashi here, that there are no heroes, just different types and degrees of madness.
Make an effort to go out and take a look at Ichi, it's make you laugh, it'll make you sick, but you'll have a good time, and it will definitely stick with you.
Content: 9
Kakihara is the masochistic right hand man of the boss of the Anjo group, a yakuza group within the Shinjuku syndicate(spec. note, Shinjuku is a seedy part of Tokyo). The problem is, the boss has gone missing... and Kakihara has set out to find him. Meanwhile, another shadowy group, who is responsible for the disappearance of Kakihara's boss, is using their killing machine Ichi to dispose of the Yakuza. Unfortunately for them, Ichi has some pretty serious psychological problems.
The plot in the movie is so multilayered and full of surprises that it's hard to know what's coming next. Despite growing up watching Scooby Doo (the good Scooby, when that little bastard Scrappy hadn't shown up yet) and being a fairly good detective when it comes to guess what's going to happen next in films, this one had me guessing all the way through... and that's not a bad thing. There weren't any stupid plot twists that didn't make much sense (sans ending... I'm still not sure on that one), or mystery characters who came out of nowhere. The principle characters were the same group from beginning to end, although the movie really comes down to centering around Kakihara and Ichi. Now, there is some *SERIOUS* violence in this movie... Kakihara is a sadist/masochist (more masochist than sadist), and in his pursuit to find first his missing boss, and then Ichi, really puts your stomach to the test. First, this is a character who cuts his cheeks open from left to right and holds them together with two rings, so you know he's not going to let you down. A few of his exploits include bathing a victim (hanging from hooks) in hot temura oil, inserting long needles through a victims face, and slicing off his own tongue. Ichi is just as flashy, but I won't spoil it here.
Technical: 10
Takashi is in great form here, with some very cool establishing shots, and some really, really styling camera angles. I particularly enjoyed the opening scene where Ichi is riding through the streets of Tokyo on his bike. Takashi uses a number of jump cuts from 1st person view (on Ichi) with a very stylized perception of the city around him, to credits, and then to various other subjects (in a few he focuses in on the rear cassette of Ichi's bike as he shifts gears, and it just works really well for some reason). The director here knows his stuff, and you can really tell he puts a lot of work into making his movies a visual treat. (For anyone who's seen Penelope Sheeris' "Suburbia" and remembers the shot of the TR's walking down the street as a group, there is an AWESOME shot of the Anjo group doing the same shot in Tokyo )
Acting: 8
The actors in this movie all played their roles perfectly. Some people will say that they didn't have a lot to do, and there's a lot of throwaway characters, but my ratings are really based on what I think you should expect out of the movie you're watching (one would expect different performances from actors in say, a victorian period piece, no?). Kakihara's dual personality (sadist/masochist) is captured perfectly by Tadanobu Asano, who really looks/plays the part right. He's a villain who you can get a few chuckles from, and then immediately be horrified by what he does next. Nao Omori plays the psychological mess that is Ichi fairly believably. He really shows the characters inner turmoil and confusion about the world around him, while still making you never feel bad for Ichi at all. Ichi is not a good guy, and Nao doesn't ever let us think he is. The other actors in it plays their roles admirably, what little there is. I almost got the feeling that Takashi just picked these characters out of the Tokyo underworld and told them to act naturally, and that to me is the sign of great acting.
Sound: 8
The music director for Ichi should be proud. He manages to perfectly match the psychotic nature of the movie with an equally psychotic soundtrack. Background music is across the board, from a porno-type soundtrack to a drum&bass/house mix.
Other: 10
This is kind of a "tilt" category, how it might appeal to the weird in all of us. To quote Spinal Tap, I'd like to turn this up to 11 (But why don't you just make 10 bigger?). This is like an insane trip through a junkies "chocolate before bedtime" dreams. Anything that I bring up here is just going to spoil it for anyone, but I promise you, this one will satisfy that "other" in all of our personalities.
Overall: 9
I really, really enjoyed this movie. I've been a horror veteran for a long time, and while this isn't horror, I've heard about a lot of movies that are supposed to be so revolting blah blah blah, and to be honest, I'm always interested to see just how far a director will go. I've been dissapointed most of the time... and while Ichi isn't horrible (or horror really), there is such a solid movie around the violence (I don't condone violence, in any real form... that's why I watch movies!!! It's not real!!!) that it's not important. The crazy sadism that permeates the movie isn't as gratuitous as some might claim... It all seems to be appropriate for the film. Apart from all the fun stuff, there does seem to be an underlying message coming from Takashi here, that there are no heroes, just different types and degrees of madness.
Make an effort to go out and take a look at Ichi, it's make you laugh, it'll make you sick, but you'll have a good time, and it will definitely stick with you.