Ichi The Killer (2001)

Ichi The Killer (NR) - Review

"Laughs out the other side of his face"

When a Japanese mob boss goes missing, his Yakuza associates go looking for him.  Unbeknownst to them, he's been slaughtered by the titular Ichi, a perverted and mind-controlled teenager with razor shoes.  Through it all, tracking his master's death, is the real star and poster boy of the film, Yakuza enforcer Kakihara.  He is pierced, dressed to the nines, and has holes in his cheeks he can smoke through, and has enough sadomasochistic love in him to embrace Ichi's violence while he laments the loss of his boss and dominatrix.

Exceptionally grotesque and outlandish even for a Japanese sleaze fest, Ichi the Killer is hampered by unwesternized story telling and too-early computer graphics.  Despite that, director Miike wins by focusing on the bugnut insane Kakihara's quest to reestablish a BSDM relationship, severing his own body parts and scrogging through the overly complicated plot and skin crawling "super hero" Ichi.  In need of drastic editing and a diaper change, its a movie you'd never take home to meet your mother.  It's more of a 2am and you can't see straight hotel room fling that you regret in the morning.

4.5 Severed Pinkies out of 10 (BAD)