What My title for this comment says should be a warning to some. That is why the viewer should probably be strongly warned of what this film has in it. Extreme Comic Book Violence. Before I watched this film, I knew that it would have a lot of violence, but I wasn't expecting it to reach heights greater than what I thought. I didn't think it was going to be as extreme as it is before I watched it. The film did shock me a bit.If you think films like Dead Alive, Battle Royale, Audition, Salo', and Caligula are as depraved as movies can be, be prepared to be disarmed. With that said, I will now talk about the film. The story is this. Kakihara is a bisexual sadist who enjoys doing sadistic things such as hanging people by hooks and dumping hot grease on them or pulling the flesh off of people's face's with his arms and legs. He is looking for his Yakuza boss who disappeared. Kakihara is sad because his boss used to play crazy and weird sexual games with him. Kakahara is sort of unaware of a boy named Ichi who runs around in a superhero outfit the the number 1 on it and has blades in his boots that he uses to kill evil people with in gory unrealistic fashions. Ichi is being summoned by a supposedly retired cop. From there on, the story of madness, rape, murder, and mayhem gets a little more complicated. This film, when you look past all the gallons of blood and the sadomasochism, is brilliant. It is full of humor and entertainment but that is not what makes it good. I admired it's story and it's completely risky way to tell what the adventure of all these corrupt people. The film is unafraid of shocking it's viewers or going a little bit over the top to show who the characters are. The film's style is that of a MANGA. It is very fast paced and quick in going on with the scenes. there is one scene in particular where a woman's fingers are snapped. This scene is more shocking then it sounds due to the fact that you don't realize it until it is made obvious. once it becomes obvious enough it jumps away from that scene. Not everyone will agree with me that this film is as good as it is. There are many people that see it just as a gross shocker with no purpose other then grossing us out. There is a purpose in this film though. Even if the meaning is harder then ever to decipher. But I like films that have a hard message to figure out. It makes me want to watch them more. I find this film to be a true Japanese classic that should be remembered by the few people that see it. Words cannot describe how much I love this film. ICHI THE KILLER is a true masterpiece that has a good plot, a good meaning, and a good, yet shocking, ending twist that will haunt you for days. Watch out for the gratuitous adult content though.
