Ichi the Killer
June 29th 2008 23:44
At its heart, "M" is terrifying, not because of the raw occurrence of murder, but because the villain is unable to stop or control himself. Unpredictability, it would seem, is the most terrifying monster.
Seventy seven years later, and audiences have been desensitized to violence in cinema; Fritz Lang's masterpiece is still a fascinating film, but our stomachs are stronger, and we're not as easy to be affected by the movie.
We have our new masters, though, and Takashi Miike may be the most daring, provocative filmmaker in recent history. I've reviewed "Audition", which is a beguiling tale of horror and deserved vengeance, and I reviewed "Sukiyaki Western: Django", Miike's latest, which played at the Sydney Film Festival.
Leith, over at Siren Visual, sent over Siren's DVD release of "Ichi the Killer", Miike's most notorious film. I opened the package and was greeted by the leering visage of the man with the split mouth, held shut with a pair of piercings.
This is not Ichi the Killer. This is the ransacked face of Kakihara, the sadomasochistic leader of a Yakuza gang, looking for revenge on Ichi, who killed his boss.
I watched the movie, and I reeled and nearly retched at the obscene, violent images, the depictions of torture and sadistic glee. The beginning of the movie was pretty bad, but it quickly got worse, then worse again. This is sheer insanity on film, the concentrated distilled spirits of demented human imagination.
And yet, through it all, Miike's vision remains wonderfully creative and beautifully shot. The image of Kakihara standing in the center of a room, covered in the blood and guts of his men, is a strongly composed shot, so graphic that it simultaneously pushes and pulls the viewer into the movie.
While not as coherent as "Audition", "Ichi" makes up for the senseless, chaotic story with a rampant glee towards torture and pain. Miike has stated, in an interview, that his violent movies make up for the fact that he was a terrified little boy, unable to throw a punch. In the world of cinema, though, he makes up for it fast and hard. Is Miike to be faulted? No - he avidly depicts a world of terror, where human beings are more frightening than any supernatural force.
No, Miike doesn't scare me. I'm scared of his fans, the ones that cheer the abuse and violence and scream for more.
This is sickening, brutal cinema, which hints at the nastiest ichor that could collect on the end of a knife. I hope I never have to watch this again. I'll probably watch it again this week.
I say: You won't like this, and you won't watch this. If you do, you're in for a treat. It's perfectly composed, daring and frightening. Then, believe it or not, it's even darkly funny.
See it for: The cast is fantastic, including the main actor, Tadanobu Asano, who, apparently is in the new film "Mongol".
*this image is from HKCuk
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