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Ichi the Killer

Ichi the Killer

2001
Crime, Action
2h 9m
When a Yakuza boss named Anjo disappears with 300 million yen, his chief henchman, a sadomasochistic man named Kakihari, and the rest of his mob goons go looking for him. After capturing and torturing a rival Yakuza member looking for answers, they soon realize they have the wrong man and begin looking for the man named Jijii who tipped them off in the first place... (imdb)
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Ichi the Killer

2001
Crime, Action
2h 9m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 55.21% from 2262 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(2262)
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Rated 14 Aug 2007
90
95th
Surreal and violent, my favorite Takashi Miike film.
Rated 22 Jun 2010
37
34th
There's something sticky about ironically elevating an impotent, subservient man-child to the level of hero, and there's something hilarious about depriving a bloodthirsty audience the climactic showdown that's been promised for the duration of its running time. But the uber-violence loses its comic edge around the half-hour point, and this thing is just interminable.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
90
86th
If you can laugh at the dark humor it the context of torture and sadomasochism, you can enjoy this movie. If you can't it just means you're a good person.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
89
95th
The two major strengths of this movie are the characters and the atmosphere. This is my favorite Miike film, for sure. He sends you on a trip through his world in this movie not dissimilar to the way Kubrick did; there are outbursts of emotion, shattered and intense directing, and vibrant colors. As with all Miike films, what is real and what is not real is deceptive; it is ultimately up to you to use your imagination about the true motives of the characters.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
62
20th
A gross-out extravaganza in typical Miike fashion. It's played with a nod and a wink, and it has to be because the gore is too over-the-top to take seriously or be genuinely disturbed by (couldn't help cringing at some parts, though). I kind of enjoyed the carefree glee of it all, but then the movie became a confusing mess at the end.
Rated 20 Jul 2008
95
87th
Ichi the Killer is the ultraviolent, deadly foreign sadomasochistic ball of energy all conveyed into a feature-length gorefest, the answer and response to America's Saw. Takashi Miike truly unleashes his demonicly-influenced, dangerously evil thoughts and blends it in with a dark sense of subtle black humor along with of course, a brainy plot and equally innovative, unique performances. But, behind all the swords and martial arts kung-fu fighting, is a lot more. A movie many will leave confused
Rated 27 Oct 2008
70
63rd
Incredible for grasping the twisted desires from the shadows of one's subconscious and revealing their nature and attractiveness. Although brutal and disturbing at... most points, I have yet to speak to anybody who has seen this movie and not hear an evil giggle.
Rated 10 Jan 2009
100
98th
Hard to believe, harder to forget. Just watch and ejaculate. ^^
Rated 25 May 2009
50
24th
A comical spectacle, almost nightmarish in structure and tone. It kinda feels like an outraged Kitano-film at times (absurd, low-voiced and unpredictable in its own peculiar, deranged way). But it's a burlesque film soon forgotten, despite being mildly amusing and curiously interesting then and there.
Rated 11 Mar 2010
67
46th
I wasn't bothered by the torture and gore so much as the meandering middle section. I give it a lot of points for the audacity of its content and statement on voyeurism and violence, but it was very hard to sit through the middle when people practically walk in dazed circles for half an hour. A flawed masterpiece.
Rated 13 Jul 2007
1
10th
Can somebody please explain to me what about this film is so good? I thought it was a convoluted mess with a bunch of unlikeable characters that dragged on for far too long. What the hell was up with that ending? Boring, misogynist, useless trash. If I want the subtle, nuanced humor of people getting hurt, I can watch a rerun of America's Funniest Home Videos just as easily. At least there are prizes at the end of that.
Rated 22 Jul 2007
30
32nd
Hoo, a real stinker. About 50 minutes into it I was checking the DVD case for the running time.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
92
90th
Perhaps the most accessible Miike film. Which is to say not very accessible, but if you can handle torture and S&M in your movies, then you'll probably enjoy this.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
65
73rd
Very strange gore fest.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
30
0th
Explotive and mean - I couldn't finish the awful thing.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
4
43rd
The movie IS the ultraviolence, the crazy torture, the surreal gore, the gruesome, insane deaths. If you can sit back and howl in laughter at all that like I can, then this movie is for you.
Rated 08 Nov 2007
20
10th
Asano's Kakihara was pretty much the only thing the movie was worth watching for...
Rated 11 May 2008
90
84th
There's a lot of talent behind this trash. The story feels like a teenager's misogynistic yakuza splatter fantasy, but Miike elevates the material to ridiculous levels of satire. It's like he restrained the fever dreams of some fourteen year old virgin into something unique, funny, and strangely elegant. Very interesting, surreal movie.
Rated 27 May 2008
38
9th
Bah. A terrible script that is used as a bad excuse for showing off torture. What irritates me most of all Miikes films is that they have the potential of being good, but he always makes a mess out of it.
Rated 27 Jun 2008
92
98th
Great
Rated 05 Jul 2008
84
83rd
Stylish, pointless and incredibly disturbing. Basic Miike stuff.
Rated 25 Jan 2009
80
88th
Unforgettable movie. It's even on youtube. It's a little disturbing, but heh, thats Japan for ya!
Rated 20 Jun 2009
59
5th
The film suffers because Miike is the opposite of a genre director. In the hands of an established horror, or action, or gangster, or comedy director, maybe this could have worked. Miike wants to mix every genre according to some formula he thinks is good. I thought the action scenes were pretty ok, and the gory effects were memorable, but there's way too much talk and too many characters in the other scenes. The end product retains some of its Manga heritage but is way boring to sit through.
Rated 01 Aug 2009
78
80th
Blood and guts, and then some guts and blood, then some blood on guts and vise versa...
Rated 18 Nov 2009
48
15th
Miike spends way too much time trying to make this movie be over the top violent and not nearly enough time trying to make it interesting.
Rated 25 Feb 2010
70
56th
There is no semblance of the real world in Ichi the Killer. Everything is done so over the top and in grotesque fashion that it's fascinating in of itself. It's based on manga so the style and tone is particular to that genre. It's possible to hate it because of its gross and exploitative nature but it's just such a strange spectacle at times and with wonderfully ironic/comical lines from Kakihara (Asano) that it's more of a dark comedy than anything. Not a film that many people will enjoy.
Rated 16 Aug 2010
100
92nd
I'm a huge Takashi Miike fan and this could be considered one of his best works. Gory, suspenseful, surreal and great kill scenes. If you love horror and crime thrillers--this is the movie for you. Very highly recommended!
Rated 21 Feb 2011
76
79th
Whether you like it or not, Koroshiya 1 is a unique movie. And there are a lot to say.
Rated 15 Mar 2011
62
32nd
A bizarre yet enjoyable violent Yakuza film for the first hour or so, but then it starts slowing down and becoming stupid. Not too much happens for quite a stretch, and by the time it picks back up the violence and misogyny and rape just become grating. How it plays with the audience is fun, and Miike has a few interesting things to say, but it's just too uneven. Bonus points for Jirii's sudden bodybuilder physique.
Rated 20 Mar 2011
6
0th
Miike crafts a setting where a video game-addicted shut-in exacts revenge on men who may or may not have bullied him as a kid; his omnipotent killing skills are only outmatched by his impotent sexual problems, which may be caused by the fact that this fantasy world is inhabited by women who only exist to be raped. Miike clearly has issues, the least of which is telling a coherent and meaningful story.
Rated 31 May 2011
74
48th
I failed to get the point, and on top of that didn't get the story, but appreciated the gratuitous violence. Over all, an ok movie to watch as long as you don't really think about it.
Rated 29 Jan 2012
80
88th
Not for the squeamish.
Rated 07 Mar 2012
60
22nd
Too uneven and disjointed.
Rated 01 Jul 2012
7
67th
If you're a childish sadist you will enjoy this because it seems mostly to be a spoof on sadism and sadomasochism and maybe even Batman? Yes, Batman. It's also convoluted, inconsistent, sometimes boring, sometimes too serious, a lot of times stupid. But a large portion of the movie features hysterical violence, strange sound effects, gore, blood, dismemberment, bad CGI, Japan, funny music, hypnosis, torture, rape and a man-child pathological killer. Trashiness aside, this is worth a look.
Rated 30 Oct 2013
80
71st
binlerce film izledim; böyle saykosunu az gördüm. Ichi'yi, şimdiye kadar izlediğim filmler arasındaki en extreme psikopat katil ilan ediyorum. çok garip, sinir bozucu, ucube bir film ama ne hikmetse kötü film diyemiyorsunuz. yerin dibine mi batırayım, göklere mi çıkarayım bilemediğim, puan vermekte en fazla zorlandığım filmlerden biri oldu benim için. son derece bayağı, yoz, ama fazlasıyla özgün bir iş; orası kesin.
Rated 15 Dec 2006
73
62nd
I really didn't find it to be as violent as people said (desensitizing?). Other than the violence, there's some great dark comedy to be found here. The story is pretty weak, but the characters are entertaining, and I haven't had this much fun watching a movie in a while.
Rated 29 Dec 2006
63
60th
One of the most violent movies I've ever seen. Makes Kill Bill look like an episode of the teletubbies.
Rated 04 Mar 2007
5
0th
Typical Miike film. Uber shite with an even worse ending.
Rated 18 Mar 2007
69
39th
Ichi is a grotesque movie that is enjoyable all the way through despite its numerous flaws. Had it had a better screenplay and probably better direction this could have been a great movie.
Rated 02 Jun 2007
72
32nd
It's got some good points but be aware this film is incredibly violent. It makes American Psycho look like a Disney movie. If you can stomach that, it's an interesting tale of sadomasochism and strange perversions. It was interesting but I can't see myself watching it again.
Rated 07 Jul 2007
89
94th
To deglamorize violence, one must embrace it as a sado-masochist. This is exactly what this movie does and it's up to the viewer to reanalyze the warped sense of morality the media has instilled within us. This hands off approach is a wonderful change of pace from the preachy bullshit of Hollywood.
Rated 05 Aug 2007
77
67th
Very much a matter of taste...
Rated 07 Aug 2007
90
86th
An insane, over the top gorefest that never lets up.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
65
67th
Outlandish and crafted with a fierceness, this absolutely shows its comic book roots. Absolutely unnecessary gore is completely necessary to inure the audience, and the beyond-gross out on-screen activities are audacious enough to not make us cringe.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
99
99th
I like the feeling I get when I see people being tortured. Some parts are erratic, but it's forgiveable. I love the director so much. He made someone get hit several times instead or three times just because he didn't like the actress.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
89
94th
You're either going to love this film or hate it with a passion.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
90
67th
Whenever I think of Takashi Miike, an abnormally short japanese dude with oversized sunglasses on laughing maniaclaly and rubbing his hands while filming the titty-cutting scene comes to mind.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
100
80th
if this movie does not make your eyes pop out, then you are too pussy to deal with a girl that wants you to beat her!
Rated 14 Aug 2007
85
39th
Funny
Rated 14 Aug 2007
40
53rd
another crazy ass foreign film, if you don't mind violence and like foreign films and have exhausted all other foreign films, take the time
Rated 14 Aug 2007
80
83rd
Amazingly enough, this film delivers a stellar "ultra violent" plot with coherency.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
88
88th
This movie is so violent it's sexy.
Rated 29 Aug 2007
97
96th
Great exploration of our fascination with violence, I love it. i liked the characters a lot.
Rated 09 Jan 2008
69
40th
Absolute insanity. Not as good as Audition but it doesn't try to be in the slightest. It has some awesome shots and a lot of blood and gore. It doesn't make any sense, but it's apparently based on an anime, which explains a lot.
Rated 29 Mar 2008
82
67th
The only straightforward thing in this flick is the violence
Rated 01 Apr 2008
40
18th
But is it good?
Rated 07 May 2008
60
45th
Miike certainly has as style all his own.
Rated 26 Jul 2008
50
17th
Disturbing Japanese ultra-violence from V-cinema maestro Takashi Miike. Ichi is a brilliantly bizarre character, but whenever he's not on screen the film starts to drag a bit with its unrelenting sadism.
Rated 28 Jul 2008
95
81st
This is a must see for every film fan. It laughs at violence and there is plenty of it.
Rated 23 Aug 2008
84
71st
The most outrageously over the top, violent and gory movie I've ever seen. You either appreciate this kind of stuff or you don't. I wanted to be shocked and Ichi delivered. There's actually a story here too, and subtext no less!
Rated 28 Sep 2008
85
55th
Miike brings this movie to the brinks of uber-cheesy, violent shock and B aesthetics. Very Tarantino influenced, with its over-the-top effects. It has the ability to make the viewer cringe which is something only a few modern Directors can do and do well. Awesome movie, but not for the faint of heart.
Rated 26 Oct 2008
95
91st
Takashi Miike em plena forma! Destaque para a interpretação sublime de Tadanobu Asano no papel do Yakuza/Sadomaso "Kakihara". Esse longa foi adaptado de um mangá japonês, mas nenhuma revista conseguiria transmitir a aflição que Miike e Tadanobu transmitem nesse filme. Assista agora! De preferência longe de sua família.
Rated 21 Dec 2008
87
76th
Japanese can be so sick :)
Rated 17 Jan 2009
80
66th
Evil, evil movie
Rated 11 Feb 2009
90
81st
This is so good in so many levels...
Rated 18 Feb 2009
4
71st
"...this is an extremist on form."
Rated 14 Mar 2009
35
23rd
uummm...i like bunnies, so...??
Rated 07 Apr 2009
89
81st
Violencia, tortura, masoquismo, perversiones, todos los temas com los que le gusta tratar a takashi miike un gran director siempre buscando paralizar a los espectadores de una forma u otra, y siempre lograndolo es una pelicula muy dinamica al principio no sabes nada de como se desenvuelven los personajes y poco a poco encuentras relaiones con todo lo que aparece en el filme
Rated 12 May 2009
75
51st
One of my all time favorite cult films, a true gem.
Rated 25 Aug 2009
75
84th
Misogyny, hyper violence and a rad soundtrack: sign me up!
Rated 22 Dec 2009
100
97th
Rewatching this as an adult, it shines even more as one of the few ultra-violent films with a meaning and intelligence to it. It's still a comic book film, adapted from a manga, but its quality is significant, both in terms of the acting and for Miike's and screenwriter Sakichi Satô's emphasis of psychology and transgressive sexuality. One of Miike's most accomplished films if not the best, a cult film which makes many other violent films look pathetic and dumb in comparison.
Rated 05 Apr 2010
96
89th
so crazy, so worth it
Rated 23 Apr 2010
80
71st
I winced and looked away more than once. Wow.
Rated 30 May 2010
35
10th
trash
Rated 03 Jul 2010
80
67th
what a wacked out movie..it has so many scenes of utter weirdness and bloodletting...this is brutal and oh man does the blood and violence get beyond brutal
Rated 23 Oct 2010
81
74th
This is a film about excentric people in an excentric environment. The story has taken a bit of a backseat, but as it is to showcase development of the personas within it and explore their quirks and desires it really hits home as a character journey. That it is contained within such a gory medium only adds to the flavor of it, whether good or bad. It has some very visual scenes but I was never as shocked by them, more amazed by how well they worked with the characters in them. A hidden pearl.
Rated 31 Oct 2010
84
63rd
I love it!
Rated 23 Mar 2011
88
96th
Sublime...and this is despite its unrelenting and creative ultra violence: I actually think there is some great substance to this film.
Rated 30 Mar 2011
78
75th
One of the more darker and wierder Asian films that I've seen. Violent and twisted - just the way we like 'em.
Rated 17 Apr 2011
65
65th
Miike Takashi's most popular film, Ichi the Killer tells the ridiculous tale of an extremely shy man whose talent for killing leads him down a bizarre path of murder, torture and salvation. Full of Miike's traditional wit and over-the-top gore, Ichi the Killer is a sure fire hit for any fan of J-Horror or gorefest action.
Rated 29 Aug 2011
83
80th
Great Asian gangster film...packed with loads of gore!
Rated 07 Sep 2011
40
35th
I did like the twist he-man out of nowhere
Rated 30 Dec 2011
76
37th
Funny.
Rated 26 Feb 2012
96
89th
definatly a dope movie. crazy characters that are both very dark and comical at the same time. Its not a straight out comedy and id say its more disturbing than funny but the two are blended very well in an origonally graphic way. The violence/action, settings, and characters all seem fresh.
Rated 06 Jun 2012
62
32nd
a super stylized film, which to be honest has a lacking script, some shots linger in a perverted japanese kind of way. The plot is as fun as you're willing to let sadism and sex merging take you. 92/100 for the trailer.
Rated 02 Jul 2012
3
32nd
It's like a campy, ultraviolent comic book movie. Miike successfully maintains the madcap tone for most of the film, and the violence is certainly amusing, but on the whole it's just tiresome. It often feels that Miike piles on the blood and secondary characters to cover up how bland this really is. It's simply not innovative enough to get by on camp alone (see: Hausu). The attempts to interject pathos into the story come across as silly or tonally inconsistent, depending on your reading.
Rated 11 Oct 2012
74
51st
Gore and fantastic.
Rated 25 Dec 2012
50
48th
So overrated
Rated 18 May 2014
82
92nd
A perfect blend of cruelty and hilarity.
Rated 04 Nov 2014
91
51st
This is so much more than a mindless bloodbath. It has an unnerving intelligence, purposely playing with audience expectations and constantly pushing the envelope in terms of pace, character and theme. Full of ultra-violence and striking, very disturbing imagery.
Rated 25 Mar 2018
80
62nd
Gruesome, ugly action drama is mitigated by an unwillingness to present either of its central characters as anything other than empty ciphers -- their mutually repulsive 'acting out' ultimately has little value except to shock, (which may be Miike's goal), but it makes the film less satisfying. The film does function as a perverse barometer of the viewer's tolerance for graphic violence (sexual and otherwise) and Miike has crafted his tale expertly; Asano is a superbly unsettling antagonist.
Rated 30 May 2019
48
11th
Gore can be done correctly (Old Boy), or like this.
Rated 09 Mar 2022
45
24th
Pretty insane torture flick
 I’m not even going to pretend like I understand it I gave up about 20 minutes in trying to figure out the story 
 Fast moving and very chopped together scenes that makes zero sense to me 
 But if you’re looking for a straight up gore fest 
 Than this movie is probably for you
 if for nothing else watch it for the imagery
Rated 14 Aug 2007
90
94th
Ultimately, not as weird or gory as I originally hoped; it's still a fun ride. I don't think I've laughed so hard with a movie for a long time now as I did during the tongue scene; I had to pause the DVD and take a break or I'd be giggling through the rest of it. Good clean wholesome fun... for the maniac in you.
Rated 06 Aug 2009
84
88th
Oldboy on steroids.
Rated 10 Jul 2012
77
59th
76.500
Rated 10 Sep 2012
30
18th
A strange mix of good & bad. Ichi character was unconvincing. Fighting with weapons incapable of inflicting the damage shown & imbecilic acting. Some great tense moments. A few good crazy plot points. Many disturbing scenes for the sake of sadistic violence. The director failed rather miserably, especially at the ending which is a stupid confusing mess. SFX was good, except the blood. Too bad the story fell apart so badly & they had to cut away, or edit out, most of the fighting.
Rated 26 Oct 2012
70
56th
* Casting, Acting : 7 * Script : 6 * Directing, Aura : 8 * Ease of Viewing : 6 * Naked Eye : 8
Rated 13 Apr 2014
85
91st
Ichi the Killer's plot is fueled equal parts by psycho-sexualism and sadomasochism, controlled by absurd violence and a sociopathic anti-hero that oozes desirable coolness despite his depravity. Complete with the striking color design and wild camerawork, the movie begs you to keep your eyes on it as much as it dares you to look away. Hyperbolic and stylish, this is Japanese sensationalism at its finest. Defines the term "exploitation".
Rated 27 May 2014
37
48th
666th ranking.

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