Be warned, for this movie is as graphic as it gets. Murder, dismemberment, torture, rape, mutilation... and that's just the beginning. This tour-de-force of sadism as directed by Japanese auteur Takashi Miike is an unbelievable display of cruel and inhumane punishment, both to the characters inhabiting the film and anyone with a weak stomach. Anyone familiar with Miike's other films, especially "Audition" will find this to be familiar, yet still interesting ground. The violence is so over the top that it's hard not to laugh while watching it. How many times have you seen someone get their throat cut, only to have a literal torrent of blood spray out of the wound all over everything? How about a guy who cuts off the tip of his tongue as an apology to his bosses, rather than the traditional tip of the finger? How about a guy who gets cut in half lengthwise by a concealed boot blade, only to split in half and fall to the floor in two? One of the main reasons to watch this film is for Kakihara, the character played by Tadanobu Asano. A bleached blond sadomasochist, this guy easily ranks up there with any other anti-hero you can think of. Think of him as a garishly dressed metro sexual with a penchant for needles and you'll come close to what he looks and acts like.
Describing the story isn't quite so simple but multiple viewings provide more insight each time into the labyrinthine plot. Kakihara is a Yakuza lieutenant on the hunt for his missing boss, who had disappeared with 300 million yen. His reasoning for finding him has nothing to do with the money but because of the fact that his boss was the one person who knew how to dish out pain the way he liked. Soon, Kakihara discovers that his boss has been murdered and begins the search for the man who butchered his boss. He discovers that the man responsible is an enigmatic figure named Ichi, a wild tornado of violence who holds the promise of giving Kakihara what he so desires: the ultimate experience in painful death.
Sounds messed up? Well, let me assure you, that it is. And I haven't even begun to describe Kakihara's methods in finding Boss Anjo. If at this point, I've gotten your interests piqued, I'll leave it for you to experience.
It's a yakuza movie of sorts but it really plays out as a kind of rhetoric on desire and our willingness to fulfill them or have them fulfilled. The film can also be viewed as just a straight up gore fest and it works on that level also. There is great use of physical and computer assisted effects. Also, the music by Karera Musication deserves mention as probably the most original film score I've ever heard in any movie, period.
If you want to see something daring, disturbing and groundbreaking, I strongly recommend this film for those that can handle the intense scenes of violence. Just make sure you find the unrated director's cut for the film and avoid it on cable, which shows the R-rated version. See it the way it was meant to be seen, as with every other film.
RATING: ****1/2 out of *****.
Describing the story isn't quite so simple but multiple viewings provide more insight each time into the labyrinthine plot. Kakihara is a Yakuza lieutenant on the hunt for his missing boss, who had disappeared with 300 million yen. His reasoning for finding him has nothing to do with the money but because of the fact that his boss was the one person who knew how to dish out pain the way he liked. Soon, Kakihara discovers that his boss has been murdered and begins the search for the man who butchered his boss. He discovers that the man responsible is an enigmatic figure named Ichi, a wild tornado of violence who holds the promise of giving Kakihara what he so desires: the ultimate experience in painful death.
Sounds messed up? Well, let me assure you, that it is. And I haven't even begun to describe Kakihara's methods in finding Boss Anjo. If at this point, I've gotten your interests piqued, I'll leave it for you to experience.
It's a yakuza movie of sorts but it really plays out as a kind of rhetoric on desire and our willingness to fulfill them or have them fulfilled. The film can also be viewed as just a straight up gore fest and it works on that level also. There is great use of physical and computer assisted effects. Also, the music by Karera Musication deserves mention as probably the most original film score I've ever heard in any movie, period.
If you want to see something daring, disturbing and groundbreaking, I strongly recommend this film for those that can handle the intense scenes of violence. Just make sure you find the unrated director's cut for the film and avoid it on cable, which shows the R-rated version. See it the way it was meant to be seen, as with every other film.
RATING: ****1/2 out of *****.