Starring
Tadanobu Asano, Nao Omori, Alien Sun, Susumo Terajima, Shun Sugata,
Toru Tezuka, Yoshiki Arizono. Directed by Takashi Miike. (2001/128
min).
Here's something that'll never happen... an American remake of Ichi
the Killer, promoted with a gloriously misleading poster featuring Mark Wahlberg & Jeremy Renner, arms crossed and standing back-to-back beneath the tagline: These two give new
meaning to Here Comes the Pain!
Anybody who's ever seen Ichi the Killer knows
it's too bonkers to ever be effectively remade. For better or
worse, this is a one-of-a-kind film. To make even minor narrative,
stylistic or tonal changes renders any notion of a remake ridiculous
(just ask Spike Lee). In that respect, I suppose it puts Ichi the
Killer in the same company as Jaws.
Not
that the film is a similar exercise in cinematic artistry. I think
many Takashi Miike fans would concur that much of the director's appeal lies in
his gung-ho audacity. Along with the
equally-insane Audition, Ichi the Killer remains his
magnum opus, a whacked-out assault on good taste that has earned a notorious level
of international infamy that few other Asian cult films have
achieved (even all these years later, it is arguably the Gone with the Wind of WTF?).
 |
| "Stop it! That tickles!" |
Cult
classic credentials notwithstanding, Ichi the Killer's bipolar
attitude and approach to its unflinching violence remains a bone of
contention (for this writer, anyway). On one hand, the most graphic
scenes of violence are so extreme and over-the-top that they border
on surreal. That, along with some amusing performances (especially by
Tadanocu Asano as the pain-addicted Kakihara), has the film
approaching a level of black comedy that's a lot of brutal fun. The
voyeuristic sexual violence, on the other hand, is depicted far more
realistically and really tough to take.
Not
that my reservations should dissuade anybody reading this, most of
whom are probably already well-aware of the story and sick
thrills in-store. This isn't Ichi the Killer's first Blu-Ray
rodeo, either. It was first released in 2010 by Tokyo Shock. I've
never seen that edition, but by most accounts, the video & audio
quality was pretty shitty. That's no longer an issue with this nicely-restored transfer from Well Go USA. However, the new disc much lighter on bonus
features...just an audio commentary, still gallery and trailer. Looks like some of you sick puppies planning to double-dip will have to hang onto both discs.
EXTRA
KIBBLES
AUDIO
COMMENTARY - By Miike and original Ichi the Killer manga
creator Hideo Yamamoto.
STILL GALLERY
TRAILER
KITTY CONSENSUS:
WTF!
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