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In this review, I'm going to be comparing two different DVD releases of rogue Japanese cult director Takashi Miike's bloody, hyperkinetic "Ichi the Killer" (aka "Koroshiya 1"), both of which claim to be completely uncut. Hmmm. It's interesting, because the Media Blasters release clocks in with a running time of 124 minutes, while the Pioneer Japan release comes in at 128 minutes. So, what's with the discrepancy? How can one "uncut" version be about 4 minutes shorter than another "uncut" version? I'll get to the bottom of that issue in this side by side comparison, while providing a review for the film proper. I'll start off by saying that for a very long time, it had been a long and arduous process getting my hands on a real, honest-to-goodness, completely uncut and uncensored version of "Ichi" with English subtitles. Although I'm trying to learn Japanese, I'm not quite to the point of translating movies. I digress. Finally, though, I was able to procure this one through an importer. It's the original Japanese version...heck, it's so Japanese that the menu screens are in Japanese. Luckily, they're pretty intuitive, so I was able to set my audio options and start the movie, which I did with much fear and trepidation. After all, the uncut version of the film has been touted as a veritable "holy grail" for gorehounds, so I was nervous that it wouldn't hold up to all the hype. So, here goes...
The synopsis...
"Ichi the Killer" tells the story of two diametrically opposed men; Kakahira, a mid-level Yakuza henchman with a penchant
(to say the least) for torturing his rivals (and himself, for that matter), and an enigmatic assassin named "Ichi" (for those
of you not "in the know", "Ichi" means "one" in Japanese). That Ichi...he's an odd feller...he has a habit of crying uncontrollably
immediately before and after a "hit". It seems that Ichi has a perverse grudge against bullies, or those he perceives as
being bullies in one form or another. As a schoolboy, Ichi witnessed the brutal rape of his schoolmistress (I think) at the
hands of a handful of his classmates...an event which he could do nothing about but stand there and watch, rubbing his
cock through his trousers. All these years later, Ichi carries the guilt of that event with him, and every time he goes "on
a job", he walks the fine line between self disgust, arousal, guilt, and vengeance. When he exacts that vengeance, he has
an interesting methodology; he wears an elaborate leather costume with a big "1" on the back, and boots with spring-loaded
blades in their heels. He bursts into the scene and literally slices and dices everything in his path.
 . He's a card, that Ichi, but
while he's (arguably) the "main character" in the film, the award for "most interesting" goes
to Kakahira. He's a snazzy dresser, he's cooler than you, he's got groovy cheek gashes that he blows smoke out of when he
smokes a cigarette, and he's a true sadomasochist. For all of the gut-wrenching ass-whoopin' that Ichi dishes out over the
course of the story, Kakahira absolutely steals the show with his scenes of prologned torture, self-mutilation, and mayhem.
Kakahira is part of a Yakuza gang called the "Anjo gang", after its leader, Boss Anjo. Boss Anjo goes missing suddenly, with
a huge sum of money, which draws the attention of damn-near every Yakuza in town. The loyal Kakahira makes it his quest
to find Anjo and the missing moolah, a quest, we suspect, that has roots in the fact that Kakahira absolutely loves the brutality
and cruelty dished out upon him by his boss. Aww...it's kind of sweet, in it's own way...the poor guy misses his boss. In his
search, Kakahira discovers the possible involvement of a gang of Yakuza rejects. It's to this group that Ichi tentatively
belongs, though it's clear that Ichi ain't in the position to lead anything, so instead he takes the role of official gang hit-man.
The other gang members seem to have duties consisting almost exclusively of cleaning up after the messy carnage caused
by Ichi. Kakahira, in his investigation, barks up the wrong tree more than once, focusing his anger/vengeance/sadism onto the
"wrong guy". In one such instance, he captures a relatively high-ranking member of another gang, drives hooks through the
flesh of his back, and hangs him naked by chains from those hooks. He then proceeds to pour boiling tempura oil on the dude's
back. Needless to say, the guy screams in agony, but it becomes apparent that Kakahira does have the "wrong guy". Other yakuza
burst into the room, and admonish Kakahira for his atrocities. They release Kakahira's "prisoner", and threaten to ban Kakahira from
the "syndicate". In a fit of desperation (and seemingly, a type of masturbation), Kakahira restates his loyalty to the syndicate by
cutting out his own tongue (shown in unflinching, extra-graphic detail). Whew. Despite his "loyalty", a few scenes later, Kakahira is
expelled from the syndicate anyway, at which time he calmly and casually announces that he is going to "take over the Anjo gang".
Long story short, the action shifts between the brutality served up piping hot by Ichi and Kakahira, respectively, and one gets the sense
that when these two fine fellows finally and inevitably meet, it's gonna be rough going, as they say. In fact, the majority of the movie
takes great pains in setting up these two characters and building up the tension for their meeting. And they meet. Oh, boy...do they ever...
I've said it before and I'll say it again..."Ichi the Killer" is, in essence, very much a homosexual love story. I know...some of you are going
to stop reading at this point. You're saying "what the fuck, dude? I thought this was a horror site, not a namby-pamby poofta-lovin' feel-good site!"
Well, shut the fuck up and listen: this ain't no gentle, tuck-me-in and kiss me goodnight love story. It's the most brutal, fucked up, twisted bitch of
a love story since...well...since ever, and it truly takes no prisoners. Call it an exercise in fate, call it a gangster flick, call it whatever you want...
it's still a horrific, unnerving, splattery film, and therefore deserves a place on Atrocities Cinema.com. Anway, I suppose the whole "homosexual love
story" thing warrants some further explanation. Well, here goes...these two forces...Kakahira and Ichi...they are diametrically opposed, you see. One is the ultimate sadist, the other is the
penultimate masochist. Each of them, without actually realizing it, is actively seeking the other. They need each other. They even love each other in some odd way. Not only is the consumation of their "relationship" the whole ever-fuckin' point of the film, it's quite interesting, if only from a psychological perspective. These two fine fellows are literally Yin/Yang...they complement one another completely.
It would be inappropriate for me to sit here and analyze this film scene-by-scene, though I could easily do so. There is so much here to analyze. However, I realize that many of you have yet to see this film, and I wouldn't want to inordinately spoil the whole thing for ya', now would I? Suffice it to say that there is much, much more going on here besides just vivid violence and groovy outfits. This film is wonderful. Hands down. That's all I can really say. It's every bit as gory as you've heard, and twice as twisted. Thus, it belongs in every horror fan's collection.
  Which brings us, I suppose, to the comparative review of these two editions of "Ichi the Killer". Earlier, I said that both claim to be uncut, even though one edition (the Media Blasters/Tokyo Shock edition) appears to run (according to the box and all online resources that I've seen thus far) 124 minutes to the Pioneer versions' 128 minutes. For quite a while after the Tokyo shock version came out, I balked at purchasing it simply because I knew that the Pioneer edition I already had appeared to be four minutes longer, thus making the Tokyo Shock version rather...well..."cut", in my mind! Well, finally I got my hands on a copy of the Tokyo Shock edition...and thought I would give it a try. Imagine my surprise when I found that their edition is not only LONGER than 124 minutes, but it has the exact same running length as my Pioneer version. In fact, the prints appear to be taken from identical sources. They seem to be absolutely the same version of the movie. Also, the special features, as far as I can tell, are also identical. With that in mind, here's an open comment to the good people at Tokyo Shock...your edition of 'Ichi the Killer" is great, but change your box-copy to reflect the true running time of the film. I know several people who have very conciously avoided buying this version (like I did for a long time) simply because we knew that there were more "uncut" versions available. Anyway, I digress.
Either way you slice it, it's still "Ichi", and either version you might choose, you can be assured of getting probably the best quality available, and in its uncut form, 'natch. You really need to go out right this second and find "Ichi the Killer". Seriously. Buy it. What the fuck are you waiting for. Believe the hype, people. It just doesn't get any wetter, redder, hipper, or more unnerving than "Ichi".
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The Atrocities Cinema Scoreboard (Pioneer edition)
Movie:
DVD:
Overall:
The Atrocities Cinema Scoreboard (Shriek Show/Media Blasters edition)
Movie:
DVD:
Overall:
Do you have something to say about "Ichi the Killer"? Then say it h e r e .
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