Itchi the Killer (2001) Review
March 31st 2010 17:10
***Warning: The following review may be offensive to some sensitive readers***
Among fellow bucket movie aficionados, some films always have a reputation for one reason or another and you always hear certain names tossed around. Ed wood's “Orgy of the dead” or the notorious “Night Shift Nurses” or “Fritz the cat” seem to titles you always hear about, but one Takashi Miike's crime/Horror thriller “Itchi the Killer” is one everyone's heard of but few have seen. Even in it's native japan, “Itchi the Killer” is a cult classic, rumored to be the most gory, violent offensive movie ever made. Jason and I always feigned disinterest,
but were secretly curious how the movie got stuck with such a reputation. Recently, a local video store shut down, and all their DVDs went on sale 90% off. When my brother Jason saw a copy of “Itchi the Killer” for a scant 99 cents, we agreed to give it a shot. We heard about this movie so many times, from so many people I didn't know what to expect, and what do we have to loose but one buck?
The film is the story of Kakihara, a bisexual self-mutilating yakuza enforcer who enjoys being tortured as much as he enjoys torturing others. As the film opens, his lover and yakuza boss disappears and Kakihara goes on a torture rampage to find him, eventually discovering his boss was killed by an assassin only known as “Itchi” (Japanese for “one”) who slaughters his victims with reckless abandon. Itchi leaves his murder scenes littered with dismembered bodies, entrails and gallons of blood much to the delight a Kakihara who at one point picks up a length of intestine at one of the scenes and quips “See this? We're just one big tube like this,” what a fun guy. As the movie goes on, we get to see Itchi in action, he turns out to be a neurotic, crying, chronic masterbator who has constant flashbacks to a rape he witnessed in high school, believing the people he's killing look just like the kids who picked on him when he was younger, not your typical serial killer at all. Itchi is Manipulated by Jiijii, a hypnotist who looks after Itchi and twists his mind to make him a perfect hired killer. Kakihara sees itchi as the “Perfect sadist” to his “Perfect Masochist” and spend the movie tracking him down hoping for a thrilling battle to the death. Not a movie you'd show a girl on a first date, at least with any girl I've ever dated.
Does this movie deserve it's reputation as the most violent, sick and twisted movie ever? “Itchi the Killer” did come along before the “Torture Porn” craze of the 2000's and until “Hostel” and “Saw” came along I can
see how it could easily hold this reputation. However, nowadays I'm ashamed to say it's tame compared to later titles like “Machine Girl” or “Tokyo Gore Police” and lacks the quality of story and production those films had. Like many of Miike's previous works it seems that he just wanted to make something as offensive as he could, without regard to a cohesive story. There's acres of dialogue but 90% could have been replaced with the sounds of dogs barking and you wouldn't miss a thing about the plot. Every character is a twisted psychotic freak, there's not hero and no one to cheer for. The movie also trudges along at a snail's pace, the 90 minute film feels like it's ten hours long, while most Asian films move at a slower pace than American films this one has to be slow even by their standards.
I've gotta say, while “Itchi the Killer” delivers as promised in the gore department, it falls flat in almost every other aspect. It's boring, slow paced and fails to keep your interest. There are a few memorable scene, but if you took everything else out it would wind up a short film. Don't bother with the unrated “Super Gore” edition either. It only adds a tiny bit of footage, and the last thing this movie needs to to be longer. As usual, the hype doesn't match the product, Jason deserves his 99 cents back.
Among fellow bucket movie aficionados, some films always have a reputation for one reason or another and you always hear certain names tossed around. Ed wood's “Orgy of the dead” or the notorious “Night Shift Nurses” or “Fritz the cat” seem to titles you always hear about, but one Takashi Miike's crime/Horror thriller “Itchi the Killer” is one everyone's heard of but few have seen. Even in it's native japan, “Itchi the Killer” is a cult classic, rumored to be the most gory, violent offensive movie ever made. Jason and I always feigned disinterest,
Our hero Ladies and Gentlemen
You Ever have one of those days where nothing goes right?
I've gotta say, while “Itchi the Killer” delivers as promised in the gore department, it falls flat in almost every other aspect. It's boring, slow paced and fails to keep your interest. There are a few memorable scene, but if you took everything else out it would wind up a short film. Don't bother with the unrated “Super Gore” edition either. It only adds a tiny bit of footage, and the last thing this movie needs to to be longer. As usual, the hype doesn't match the product, Jason deserves his 99 cents back.
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Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
It seems that Bucket movies have started critiquing good films instead of trash...I understand the lack of joy found in Ichi for you but to call it "boring" is a bit of a stretch. It has a vibrant energy that pings of the frame and even at its most absurd still for me carried weight. This one is after all a comic book film.
But hey, it Miike so not all love his flavor.
Comment by Joshua the Samurai
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