Ichi the Killer is kind of a stretch to be included as a horror film in this marathon.  However, it can be viewed in a way as an early predecessor to the modern “torture porn” sub-genre that is currently popular, including films like the Saw series, Hostel and The Human Centipede.  I originally watched Ichi back in college, roughly seven years ago, because my friends and I were interested in finding the goriest and most disgusting films in existence.  It fit the bill back then, and still has a place in that category ten years after its release.

The movie is directed by Takashi Miike, the man behind the recent 13 Assassins (which I loved) and Audition, another cult classic in his filmography.  Ichi revolves around two men, one obviously named Ichi, and another called Kakihara (played by the famous Tadanobu Asano.)  Ichi is a tormented man, dealing with the constant nightmare of a horrible memory in his youth that drives him to anger.  Kakihara is a sick, demented leader of one of Japan’s yakuza gangs, known for his twisted torture methods and grotesque scars across his face.  The similarity between the two is that both men revel in the violence they cause, but for totally different reasons.  Both men are on a collision course towards each other, but what happens when two merciless killers finally meet?

As I mentioned before, my film-watching friends in college were determined to be grossed out in whatever way possible.  Ichi the Killer is chock full of some of the most over-the-top violence you may ever witness in film.  Some of it is laughable, while other moments are downright traumatizing.  If you are squeamish in any way, avoid this movie.  Please.

In 2004, my reaction towards Ichi was mostly humorous.  We all found the film to be silly with its ridiculous bloodbaths and bizarre plot.  However, revisiting the film in 2011 left a different impression.  While some moments were still laughable in their execution, I found the majority of the movie to be either boring or nearly reprehensible.  Maybe I’m simply burned out already of the “torture porn” genre, but I had no desire to endure scene after scene of violent mutilation.  It also didn’t help that the film is a little over two hours long, when it easily could’ve had a large chunk excised from the runtime to make things more… digestible, for a lack of better term.

Ichi the Killer is certainly well-made and visually creative.  But while some of the grisly deaths can certainly be hilarious in their over-the-top fashion, everything else in-between sours most of the experience for me.  If you’re a fellow gore-hound though, I would recommend just watching clips of the film’s most memorable moments on YouTube.