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Ichi the Killer

Play trailer Poster for Ichi the Killer R 2001 2h 8m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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64% Tomatometer 39 Reviews 82% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
A bloodthirsty hoodlum (Tadanobu Asano) sparks a series of violent reprisals after his boss is apparently taken by a mysterious assassin (Nao Ômori).

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Ichi the Killer

Ichi the Killer

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Critics Consensus

Ichi The Killer is a thoroughly shocking gorefest that will surely entertain those with strong stomachs and a penchant for brutal violence.

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Critics Reviews

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Tanner Tafelski Village Voice 11/09/2017
Miike layers a blood-stained commentary on a toxic world in which men offer protection to men but really end up dooming them to exist within a spasmodic, shambolic, and hypermasculine sphere of violence. Go to Full Review
Chuck Bowen Slant Magazine 11/05/2017
3.5/4
Unhinged even for Takashi Miike, Ichi the Killer suggests a bloody and ejaculate-stained Rorschach inkblot, reveling in ultraviolence that can be interpreted to flatter any adventurous audience's sensibilities. Go to Full Review
Dennis Harvey Variety 08/08/2008
Even hardy gonzo-cinema auds will likely find the hectic pace overstimulating to the point of numbed-out tedium. Go to Full Review
Sydney Lee Horror Movie Talk Dec 4
8/10
At first glance it’s very much torture porn, but there’s a real story there that provokes humanity’s most suppressed subconscious emotions. Ichi the Killer exemplifies the unpredictability of human perseverance and the utmost underbelly of society. Go to Full Review
Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand 01/07/2023
Miike’s twisted gangster tale, adapted from the manga by Hideo Yamamoto, is the Niagara Falls of gushing blood cinema, a depraved, demented exercise in excess. Go to Full Review
Panos Kotzathanasis Asian Movie Pulse 10/20/2019
"Ichi the Killer" is a must-watch for all fans of cult cinema, a true ode to violence and the soon arriving edition by WellGo USA is definitely the best edition of the film out there. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Justin T 4d This is a very violent and slightly confusing Japanese film. It is about one sick little boy and one sick gang leader. Stuff happens and there are lots of people killed and tortured spilling lots of blood. If that is your thing then you might like it but I do warn that a strong stomach is needed in many of the disgustingly violent scenes. Not as comic or entertaining as Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky (1991). Ichi is far more violent and overall less fun as it is really serious. See more Steve Y @Cubby65 Feb 27 Out of curiosity, I watched what is a brutal, stylish splattered. It's not my thing. See more Maksim S @MaksimusMovies Nov 12 Ichi the Killer is a provocative, audacious dive into the extremes of cinematic violence, where Takashi Miike’s signature style transforms gore into a cartoonishly exaggerated spectacle. The film’s over-the-top brutality often veers into black-comedy excess, making it more a darkly humorous carnival of chaos than purely gratuitous violence. However, while the stylized bloodletting and absurd fight sequences entertain with shocking inventiveness, the sexualized violence feels gratuitous and unnecessary, marring an otherwise audacious narrative. Despite this, the film’s audacity, kinetic energy, and fearless visual inventiveness make it a memorable, if deeply unsettling, experience—a 3.5-star cult classic that rewards viewers willing to navigate its extreme terrain. See more Dave S Aug 2 With Takashi Miike’s Ichi the Killer, you’ll know after about ten minutes whether or not this is your cup of tea. Preoccupied with violence, torture and bloodshed, it often feels as though the storyline and characters are forced to take a backseat to the gruesome mayhem…and there is a lot of gruesome mayhem. The story seems to revolve around a mob boss who has disappeared, triggering a nasty chain of events as characters come and go (and by go, I mean die in a horrible way), all leading to a climax that may (or may not – who knows?) require some interpretation. Ichi the Killer is filled with odd camera angles, some strange visual effects, a periodically jarring score, etc., all of which add to the atmosphere but will prove distracting to those who appreciate restraint. If ever there was a mixed bag of a movie, this would be it. See more Jed I Jul 6 4.0/10 — "Pretty Bad" -(Seen on 6/11/25) See more Paul M May 19 This should be at the top of your list when venturing into the world of Asian genre films... Old Boy, Battle Royal and Ichi the Killer all belong in the same sentence! This is brutal, visceral, and unflinching while also having something to say. Stylish and slick, its entertainment value is only matched by its twisted nature. A rare gem that will never be matched by the current contemporary cinema. See more Read all reviews
Ichi the Killer

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Movie Info

Synopsis A bloodthirsty hoodlum (Tadanobu Asano) sparks a series of violent reprisals after his boss is apparently taken by a mysterious assassin (Nao Ômori).
Director
Takashi Miike
Producer
Akiko Funatsu, Dai Miyazaki
Screenwriter
Hideo Yamamoto, Sakichi Satô
Distributor
Prénom H Co. Ltd., Emperor Multimedia Group (EMG) [hk], Media Blasters
Production Co
Omega Micott Inc, Excellent Film, Star Max, Omega Project, Emperor Multimedia Group (EMG) [hk], Alpha Group, Spike Co. Ltd.
Rating
R (Language|Gore|Drug Content|Sexuality|Strong Pervasive Violence)
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
Japanese
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 22, 2001, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 20, 2018
Runtime
2h 8m
Sound Mix
Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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