Ichi the Killer

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Ichi the Killer

R,

2001,

2h 8m,

Crime/

Drama

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Watchlist

Watchlist

64%

39 Reviews

Tomatometer

82%

25,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

64%

Tomatometer

39 Reviews

82%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

A bloodthirsty hoodlum (Tadanobu Asano) sparks a series of violent reprisals after his boss is apparently taken by a mysterious assassin (Nao Ômori).

Critics Consensus

Ichi The Killer is a thoroughly shocking gorefest that will surely entertain those with strong stomachs and a penchant for brutal violence.

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Tanner Tafelski

Village Voice

Nov 9, 2017

Miike layers a blood-stained commentary on a toxic world in which men offer protection to men but really end up dooming them to exist within a spasmodic, shambolic, and hypermasculine sphere of violence.

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Chuck Bowen

Slant Magazine

Nov 5, 2017

3.5/4

Unhinged even for Takashi Miike, Ichi the Killer suggests a bloody and ejaculate-stained Rorschach inkblot, reveling in ultraviolence that can be interpreted to flatter any adventurous audience's sensibilities.

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Dennis Harvey

Variety

Aug 8, 2008

Even hardy gonzo-cinema auds will likely find the hectic pace overstimulating to the point of numbed-out tedium.

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Mark Schilling

Japan Times

May 14, 2026

4/5

As played by Asano in a career-defining performance, Masao is more than a visual shock gag.

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Sydney Lee

Horror Movie Talk

Dec 4, 2025

8/10

At first glance it’s very much torture porn, but there’s a real story there that provokes humanity’s most suppressed subconscious emotions. Ichi the Killer exemplifies the unpredictability of human perseverance and the utmost underbelly of society.

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Jan 7, 2023

Miike’s twisted gangster tale, adapted from the manga by Hideo Yamamoto, is the Niagara Falls of gushing blood cinema, a depraved, demented exercise in excess.

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Feb 17, 2019

I don't read the manga so I don't know any of the backstories. This movie is pretty much 95% "look at this gore" and 5% "where is xxx?"

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Han M

Nov 3, 2018

Redefines the word Sadistic. The movie seems to build towards a showcase ending, but ended with an extremely confusing fizzle that is largely unsatisfying.

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Finn S

Oct 26, 2018

Ichi the Killer is a stylish, uncomfortable, horrific, well-plotted, and relentlessly, brutally violent film from Japan's own Takashi Miike. This movie is most certainly not for everyone, but if you can take the non-stop gore, it's a very fun time. If you're into Yakuza movies, this one ought to be at the top of your list.

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Anakin P

Jun 7, 2018

The premise behind this is both extreme and intriguing, and overall it's a good watch; however there are a few key elements that would have benefited from additional refinement in the character of Ichi, our main protagonist. That aside, ICHI THE KILLER is definitely worth seeing for fans of Miike's work, and the Kakihara role was especially well done.

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Han G

Oct 2, 2017

Three words to describe this: brutal, confusing, bizarre. I had heard this movie was on the "crazy WTF did I just watch" list, so I knew going in I was going to see some weird stuff and in that department it did not disappoint. It is a tough watch with all the extreme abuse/violence against women throughout the movie. The gore goes from extremely gory to just absolute wacky and laughable. The main character is supposed to be Ichi(obviously by the title) but it was more focused on Japanese pimp style Joker, Kakihara, even dressed in purple and green at one point. Ichi felt more like a side character than anything and dude is wacked out on goofballs here. Then again so is pretty much everyone in this. Not my kind of thing at all really, despite it feeling like something Quentin Tarantino would love. The ending was pure David Lynch all the way because I was like "????" Very strange movie..

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Abraham W

Jul 27, 2017

The movie is not for everyone, but Miike can make any movie and rarely takes the same script twice. Definitely, an original.

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Takashi Miike

Director

Tadanobu Asano

Kakihara

Nao Ômori

Ichi

Shin'ya Tsukamoto

Jijii

Paulyn Sun

Karen

Sabu

Kaneko

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Synopsis

A bloodthirsty hoodlum (Tadanobu Asano) sparks a series of violent reprisals after his boss is apparently taken by a mysterious assassin (Nao Ômori).

Director: Takashi Miike
Producer: Akiko Funatsu, Dai Miyazaki
Screenwriter: Hideo Yamamoto, Sakichi Satô
Distributor: Prénom H Co. Ltd., Emperor Multimedia Group (EMG) [hk], Media Blasters
Production Co: Omega Micott Inc, Excellent Film, Star Max, Omega Project, Emperor Multimedia Group (EMG) [hk], Alpha Group, Spike Co. Ltd.
Rating: R (Language|Gore|Drug Content|Sexuality|Strong Pervasive Violence)
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 22, 2001, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 20, 2018
Runtime: 2h 8m
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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