Subtitle Challenge: Day 2

Today, going strong on the challenge, we have a movie that has been tempting me for a long time, and indeed one that I feel a fool for not watching sooner...

Koroshiya 1
Ichi the Killer
(Takeshi Miike, 2001)

4.5 Stars

Koroshiya 1, or Ichi the Killer as it is known in English, is one of those films that I’ve always been aware of, but just never bothered to watch. As one of my dear friend Michael’s favourite films, I am surprised I was never sat down to watch it during my university days, but then again, I was rather passive of Asian cinema back in my younger years.

Infamous for its ultraviolence and notorious tongue-slicing scene, Miike’s manga adaptation really is two hours of high-octane cartoonish craziness, managing with Miike’s signature needle-point precision to submerse its audience in a surreal yet somehow believable world.

Set in the grungy Yakuza-run Shibuya, Ichi follows the exploits of second in command Kakihara as he carves his way through the local gang life in search of the eponymous Ichi, a merciless killer who has supposedly kidnapped his gang’s leader.

Tadanobu Asano as the iconic Kakihara is an intoxicating delight from start to finish, a true masochist behind his Chelsea smile, making Heath Ledger’s Joker look like a kitten. He also has the coolest dress sense a man could ever dream of. His trusted side-kicks, psychotic twins Jiro and Saburo (both played by Suzuki Matsuo) hit the screen like a sadistic Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee, somehow bringing hilarity to their depraved behaviour.

The one initial flaw I found was that of Ichi himself, played by Nao Omori, who seems somewhat cartoonish amidst the dark and grimy Yakuza world, most notably in his first killing spree (involving a man literally being sliced in half by the spurs on Ichi’s shoes), but once this initial weirdness has time to settle in, it truly makes sense within the rest of the film.

Fluctuating at times between Japanese, English and Cantonese, and taking viewers on a high energy tour of Tokyo, Miike truly captures the craziness of the Shibuya streets, whilst juxtaposing it perfectly against his gory, and at times disturbing, presentation of the Anjo gang.

Crazed and depraved, Ichi is ultimately thought-provoking and almost tender, presenting us with some of the most psychologically complex characters imaginable. It’s also at times wickedly funny, overly violent and genuinely exciting, bringing to the screen a true representation of the insanity of Japanese manga. There’s also some damned fine coats on show, and everyone knows that’s the most important thing.