Ichi the Killer
Encyclopedia
is a 2001
Japanese film
directed by Takashi Miike
, based on Hideo Yamamoto
's manga
series of the same name.
While alone with a prostitute, crime lord Anjo is brutally murdered. As an expert cleaning crew run by Jijii (Shinya Tsukamoto
) removes any trace of his body, Anjo's gang and the other crime lords assume he and the prostitute fled town with 3 million yen of the gang's money. Only Kakihara (Tadanobu Asano
), Anjo's sadomasochistic enforcer, believes Anjo is still alive. Jijii feeds Kakihara rumors that suggest Suzuki (Susumu Terajima
), a member of a rival clan, has kidnapped Anjo. Kakihara captures Suzuki and tortures him, but when Suzuki turns out to be innocent, Kakihara slices off the end of his tongue
and offers it to Suzuki's boss (Jun Kunimura) as penance.
Jijii, it is revealed, is secretly orchestrating events in order to pit Yakuza clans against one another, with the help of Ichi (Nao Omori
). Though a normally unassuming and cowardly young man, Ichi becomes homicidal
and sexually aroused when enraged. Jiji is able to manipulate Ichi's weak personality by implanting several false memories, a high school rape in particular, and uses the unstable Ichi as an assassin. Other than killing Anjo, Ichi also kills a pimp
who regularly brutalized a prostitute named Sailor that Ichi patronizes. When Sailor attacks him, Ichi kills her as well. Later, Ichi helps a boy named Takeshi by saving him from bullies; Takeshi is the son of Kaneko, one of Kakihara's henchmen.
Using Suzuki, Jijii manages to have Kakihara kicked out of the syndicate
but the entire Anjo gang defects with him. When he learns that Anjo was killed by Ichi, Kakihara kidnaps and tortures Kano, a former member of the Anjo gang who is helping Jijii. Kakihara also becomes fascinated by Ichi, imagining him to be someone who can truly fulfill his masochistic urges.
Kakihara enlists the help of a pair of corrupt
twin police detective
s, Jirô and Saburô (Suzuki Matsuo), to find Myu-Myu, a prostitute connected with Ryu Long, a member of Jijii's gang. Unable to get information from her through torture, Saburô sniffs her to get Long's scent and tracks him down. Though Long attempts to outrun the brothers, he is captured by Kakihara.
To turn Ichi into a complete killer, Jijii has Karen seduce Ichi by pretending to be the woman in his false memory. When Ichi becomes confused by Karen's claims that she desired for him to rape her, he kills her. Jijii calls Kakihara to let him know Ichi is coming to kill him.
Kaneko, Kakihara and Ichi chase each other to a rooftop. Due to prior psychological manipulation
, Ichi believes that Kaneko is his brother and confronts him. Kaneko shoots the side of Ichi's leg, causing Ichi to slit Kaneko's throat in front of Takeshi. Takeshi attacks Ichi as he is lies on the roof begging for forgiveness. Kakihara realizes Ichi cannot hurt him and inserts skewers into his ears to drown out Ichi's cries. Suddenly he sees that Ichi has chopped off Takeshi's head. Ichi charges Kakihara, embedding one of his razor-bladed boots in the center of his head. Kakihara falls from the roof to his death. However, when Jijii finds him, Kakihara has no wound in his head; he hallucinated Ichi's attack as he jumped to his death while Ichi cried.
Years later, Jijii's corpse hangs from a tree in a park. A young man resembling an older Takeshi leaves the park with a group of schoolchildren.
, Hideo Yamamoto, to write a script entirely in manga form, but the idea fell through when Yamamoto felt he could not complete it due to writer's block.
and percussionist/band leader Yoshimi P-We
.
to those attending the midnight screening of this film. Similar bags were handed out during the Stockholm International Film Festival
. Reportedly, watching the movie caused one person to throw up and another to faint.
, titled 1-Ichi
, which was directed by Masato Tanno in 2003 for a direct-to-video
-release. The film follows a young Ichi contending with violent bullies in school, and eventually realising his strengths. The prequel was written by Sakichi Sato, who also wrote this film, as well as an animated prequel, titled Ichi the Killer: Episode Zero. (Episode Zero follows the continuity of the manga series on which the films are based. This is apparent, as it has several scenes that contradict the continuity of Ichi the Killer and 1-Ichi.)
Japanese films of 2001
A list of films released in Japan in 2001 .-2001:-External links:* at the Internet Movie Database...
Japanese film
Cinema of Japan
The has a history that spans more than 100 years. Japan has one of the oldest and largest film industries in the world – as of 2009 the fourth largest by number of feature films produced. Movies have been produced in Japan since 1897, when the first foreign cameramen arrived...
directed by Takashi Miike
Takashi Miike
is a highly prolific and controversial Japanese filmmaker. He has directed over seventy theatrical, video, and television productions since his debut in 1991. In the years 2001 and 2002 alone, Miike is credited with directing fifteen productions...
, based on Hideo Yamamoto
Hideo Yamamoto
is a Japanese manga artist.He received the "Tetsuya Chiba Award", given to promising young manga creators in 1988. After resigning from the post of assistant of a popular seinen manga artist, Kenshi Hirokane, he made his professional debut by drawing "SHEEP" for Weekly Young Sunday in 1989.Martial...
's manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series of the same name.
Plot
While alone with a prostitute, crime lord Anjo is brutally murdered. As an expert cleaning crew run by Jijii (Shinya Tsukamoto
Shinya Tsukamoto
is a Japanese film director and actor with a considerable cult following both domestically and abroad.-Biography:Tsukamoto started making movies at the age of 14, when his father gave him a Super 8 camera. He made a number of films, ranging...
) removes any trace of his body, Anjo's gang and the other crime lords assume he and the prostitute fled town with 3 million yen of the gang's money. Only Kakihara (Tadanobu Asano
Tadanobu Asano
, born is a Japanese actor. He is known for his roles as Dragon Eye Morrison in Electric Dragon 80.000 V, Kakihara in Ichi the Killer, Mamoru Arita in Bright Future, Hattori Genosuke in Zatoichi, Kenji in Last Life in the Universe, Aman in Survive Style 5+, Ayano in The Taste of Tea, and Temudjin...
), Anjo's sadomasochistic enforcer, believes Anjo is still alive. Jijii feeds Kakihara rumors that suggest Suzuki (Susumu Terajima
Susumu Terajima
is a Japanese actor who has appeared in over 100 films, 15 television commercials, three PVs, and numerous television dramas in a career spanning over 20 years. He rarely is the star of the films he is in but he is widely respected for taking every job seriously and diving into his work,...
), a member of a rival clan, has kidnapped Anjo. Kakihara captures Suzuki and tortures him, but when Suzuki turns out to be innocent, Kakihara slices off the end of his tongue
Yubitsume
is a Japanese ritual to atone for offenses to another, a way to be punished or to show sincere apology to another, by means of amputating portions of one's own little finger...
and offers it to Suzuki's boss (Jun Kunimura) as penance.
Jijii, it is revealed, is secretly orchestrating events in order to pit Yakuza clans against one another, with the help of Ichi (Nao Omori
Nao Omori
is a Japanese actor, with his most notable role as Ichi in Ichi the Killer directed by Takashi Miike. He is the son of Japanese actor Akaji Maro. His older brother is the film director Tatsushi Ōmori. Nao is sometimes credited under the name Nao Ohmori...
). Though a normally unassuming and cowardly young man, Ichi becomes homicidal
Homicidal
Homicidal is a 1961 thriller film produced and directed by the self-proclaimed "King of Showmanship", William Castle. Written by Robb White, the film stars Glenn Corbett, Patricia Breslin, Eugenie Leontovich, Alan Bunce, Richard Rust, and Joan Marshall...
and sexually aroused when enraged. Jiji is able to manipulate Ichi's weak personality by implanting several false memories, a high school rape in particular, and uses the unstable Ichi as an assassin. Other than killing Anjo, Ichi also kills a pimp
Pimp
A pimp is an agent for prostitutes who collects part of their earnings. The pimp may receive this money in return for advertising services, physical protection, or for providing a location where she may engage clients...
who regularly brutalized a prostitute named Sailor that Ichi patronizes. When Sailor attacks him, Ichi kills her as well. Later, Ichi helps a boy named Takeshi by saving him from bullies; Takeshi is the son of Kaneko, one of Kakihara's henchmen.
Using Suzuki, Jijii manages to have Kakihara kicked out of the syndicate
Organized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
but the entire Anjo gang defects with him. When he learns that Anjo was killed by Ichi, Kakihara kidnaps and tortures Kano, a former member of the Anjo gang who is helping Jijii. Kakihara also becomes fascinated by Ichi, imagining him to be someone who can truly fulfill his masochistic urges.
Kakihara enlists the help of a pair of corrupt
Police corruption
Police corruption is a specific form of police misconduct designed to obtain financial benefits, other personal gain, or career advancement for a police officer or officers in exchange for not pursuing, or selectively pursuing, an investigation or arrest....
twin police detective
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
s, Jirô and Saburô (Suzuki Matsuo), to find Myu-Myu, a prostitute connected with Ryu Long, a member of Jijii's gang. Unable to get information from her through torture, Saburô sniffs her to get Long's scent and tracks him down. Though Long attempts to outrun the brothers, he is captured by Kakihara.
To turn Ichi into a complete killer, Jijii has Karen seduce Ichi by pretending to be the woman in his false memory. When Ichi becomes confused by Karen's claims that she desired for him to rape her, he kills her. Jijii calls Kakihara to let him know Ichi is coming to kill him.
Kaneko, Kakihara and Ichi chase each other to a rooftop. Due to prior psychological manipulation
Psychological manipulation
Psychological manipulation is a type of social influence that aims to change the perception or behavior of others through underhanded, deceptive, or even abusive tactics. By advancing the interests of the manipulator, often at the other's expense, such methods could be considered exploitative,...
, Ichi believes that Kaneko is his brother and confronts him. Kaneko shoots the side of Ichi's leg, causing Ichi to slit Kaneko's throat in front of Takeshi. Takeshi attacks Ichi as he is lies on the roof begging for forgiveness. Kakihara realizes Ichi cannot hurt him and inserts skewers into his ears to drown out Ichi's cries. Suddenly he sees that Ichi has chopped off Takeshi's head. Ichi charges Kakihara, embedding one of his razor-bladed boots in the center of his head. Kakihara falls from the roof to his death. However, when Jijii finds him, Kakihara has no wound in his head; he hallucinated Ichi's attack as he jumped to his death while Ichi cried.
Years later, Jijii's corpse hangs from a tree in a park. A young man resembling an older Takeshi leaves the park with a group of schoolchildren.
Cast and roles
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Tadanobu Asano Tadanobu Asano , born is a Japanese actor. He is known for his roles as Dragon Eye Morrison in Electric Dragon 80.000 V, Kakihara in Ichi the Killer, Mamoru Arita in Bright Future, Hattori Genosuke in Zatoichi, Kenji in Last Life in the Universe, Aman in Survive Style 5+, Ayano in The Taste of Tea, and Temudjin... |
Kakihara |
| Nao Omori Nao Omori is a Japanese actor, with his most notable role as Ichi in Ichi the Killer directed by Takashi Miike. He is the son of Japanese actor Akaji Maro. His older brother is the film director Tatsushi Ōmori. Nao is sometimes credited under the name Nao Ohmori... |
Ichi |
| Shinya Tsukamoto Shinya Tsukamoto is a Japanese film director and actor with a considerable cult following both domestically and abroad.-Biography:Tsukamoto started making movies at the age of 14, when his father gave him a Super 8 camera. He made a number of films, ranging... |
Jijii |
| Alien Sun Alien Sun Alien Sun is a Singapore-born actress and Miss Singapore Universe of 1994 and represented her country at Miss Universe... |
Karen |
| Susumu Terajima Susumu Terajima is a Japanese actor who has appeared in over 100 films, 15 television commercials, three PVs, and numerous television dramas in a career spanning over 20 years. He rarely is the star of the films he is in but he is widely respected for taking every job seriously and diving into his work,... |
Suzuki, of the Funaki gang |
| Shun Sugata Shun Sugata ' is a Japanese character actor from Yamanashi Prefecture. He is most known for portraying villainous characters.-Films:*Abunai Deka *Baka Yaro! 2: Shiawase ni naritai... |
Takayama, of the Anjo gang |
| Toru Tezuka | Fujiwara |
| Yoshiki Arizono | Nakazawa |
| Kiyohiko Shibukawa | Ryu Long |
| Satoshi Niizuma | Inoue |
| Suzuki Matsuo | Jirô & Saburô, twin corrupt detectives and Anjo gang members |
| Jun Kunimura | Funaki |
| Hiroyuki Tanaka | Kaneko, Anjo's bodyguard |
| Moro Morooka | Coffee shop manager |
| Houka Kinoshita | Sailor's lover |
| Hiroshi Kobayashi Hiroshi Kobayashi Hiroshi Kobayashi, , is a former professional boxer.Kobayashi turned pro in 1962 and won the WBC and WBA Super Featherweight Title in 1967 by defeating Yoshiaki Numata by 12th round KO, in a bout where Numata was down once in the 6th and three times in the 12th roundand so becoming the undisputed... |
Takeshi, Kaneko's son |
| Mai Goto | Sailor |
| Rio Aoki | Miyuki |
| Noko Morishita | Pub Patron |
| Setchin Kawaya | Pub Proprietor |
| Yuki Kazamatsuri | Yakuza Girl |
| Sakichi Satô | Man Kicking Ichi |
| Kaori Sugawara | |
| Hideo Sako | |
| Mako Takeda | |
| Masataka Haji | |
Pre-production
Director Takashi Miike intended for the author of the original mangaManga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
, Hideo Yamamoto, to write a script entirely in manga form, but the idea fell through when Yamamoto felt he could not complete it due to writer's block.
Music
The soundtrack was written and produced by Japanese band Boredoms, credited as "Karera Musication", under the direction of ex-guitarist Seiichi YamamotoSeiichi Yamamoto
is a Japanese musician. While perhaps most famous for his role as guitarist for the noise rock band Boredoms, he has released multitudes of records both as a solo artist and with several other musicians and bands, in addition to composing the soundtracks to several films.- Solo projects :* Suido...
and percussionist/band leader Yoshimi P-We
Yoshimi P-We
Yoshimi P-We, is a Japanese musician best known for her role as the longest consistent drummer in the Japanese rock band Boredoms.Yoshimi also plays trumpet, guitar, and keyboard, and sings....
.
Promotion
As a publicity gimmick, vomit bags were handed out at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
to those attending the midnight screening of this film. Similar bags were handed out during the Stockholm International Film Festival
Stockholm International Film Festival
The Stockholm International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Stockholm, Sweden. It was launched in 1990 and has been held every year in the second half of November...
. Reportedly, watching the movie caused one person to throw up and another to faint.
Prequel
This film was followed by a prequelPrequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
, titled 1-Ichi
1-Ichi
1-Ichi is a Japanese film directed by Masato Tanno, released in 2003.-Synopsis:Dai is the best fighter in the school. Every time he fights, Shiroishi is there with a big smile on his face. Dai thinks that Shiroishi is making fun of him, but in fact, he appreciates seeing all the violence that comes...
, which was directed by Masato Tanno in 2003 for a direct-to-video
Direct-to-video
Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
-release. The film follows a young Ichi contending with violent bullies in school, and eventually realising his strengths. The prequel was written by Sakichi Sato, who also wrote this film, as well as an animated prequel, titled Ichi the Killer: Episode Zero. (Episode Zero follows the continuity of the manga series on which the films are based. This is apparent, as it has several scenes that contradict the continuity of Ichi the Killer and 1-Ichi.)