Ichi The Killer (2001) Review

Written by: jackalqueen   

Like 'Pan's Labyrinth', I spent most of this film feeling like I must be missing the whole point since everyone raves on about how good it is.  I thought it was ok at best, and it reminded me of Hostel in that it took what could have been a 30 minute story and thought if it threw enough blood and guts around, it would distract you from the fact there was no real story going on. 

The second half of the film does concentrate slightly more on a storyline so it was better than the start but it still wasn't enough for me.  The tone, acting, costumes and music all made it feel like a gory, over the top, pop video to me and I wouldn't be in any rush to see any of Takashi Miike's other films if this is anything to go by. 

The warning on the cover says "..will shock & amaze you to the core of your foundations and will forever change the way you look at the medium of film" - that type of overhyped, self-satisfied bullsh*t is exactly why I'm glad that I missed the point