Ichi the Killer (2001)

4K Restoration

“A masterpiece of extreme cinema, crammed full of images that push back the boundaries of what's possible – and allowable – on screen.” – Empire Magazine

With Ichi the Killer, Japanese master of gore Takashi Miike (Audition, Three… Extremes) brought the ‘Asia Extreme’ genre of ultra-violence to the mainstream.

The gruesome gangster horror-comedy follows a sadomasochistic yakuza enforcer, Kakihara, searching for his boss, only to cross paths with Ichi, a repressed and psychotic killer. The ensuing cat-and-mouse chase through Tokyo’s red-light district of Kabukicho provides a delirious neon backdrop to Miike’s blood-stained commentary on a toxic subculture and the false promise of hypermasculinity.

Stacked with extravagant violence and torture, Miike’s bold camera work, hyper-kinetic editing and use of colourful CGI effects evoke the film’s manga inspiration of the same name by Hideo Yamamoto.

Festival Appearances/Awards
Toronto International Film Festival 2001 – Official Selection
BFI London Film Festival 2001 – Official Selection
International Film Festival Rotterdam 2002 – Official Selection

Screening as part of FLESH//GHOST//MACHINE: Japanese Nightmares.