Ichi the Killer – Well Go USA (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Japan, 2001
Director: Takashi Miike
Writers: Sakichi Satô, Hideo Yamamoto
Cast: Tadanobu Asano, Shin'ya Tsukamoto, Paulyn Sun, Susumu Terajima, Shun Sugata, Jun Kunimura

Release Date: March 20th, 2018
Approximate Running Time: 129 Minutes 40 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 Japanese, Dolby Digital Stereo Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $29.98

"This visceral, bloody, and often hilarious film follows Kakihara (Tadanobu Asano), a notoriously sadistic yakuza enforcer whose search for his boss' killer brings him into the orbit of a demented costumed assassin known as Ichi (Nao Ohmori)." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Takashi Miike's cult film has endured as one of the most influential pieces of genre filmmaking of the last two decades, and now it returns in a stunning all-new 4K restoration approved by Miike himself.

Ichi the Killer was shot originally on 16mm, telecined in HD video for post-production, before being filmed out on 35mm inter-negative for the making of release prints.

A full digital restoration of the director's cut of Ichi the Killer was undertaken by Emperor Motion Pictures in 2017. A new transfer was created in 4K resolution from a 35mm inter-negative at L'Immagine Ritrovata in Bologna, Italy. It was then digitally restored and color graded in 4K resolution."

Ichi the Killer comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 21.3 GB

Feature: 19.4 GB

The source has never looked better, and Well Go USA's transfer is a marked improvement over Tokyo Shock’s 2010 Blu-ray release. Ichi the Killer has a deliberately unnatural look and color saturation; this transfer does a solid job replicating its intended look. Image clarity and black levels are strong; there are some mild compression-related issues, and there are no issues related to digital noise reduction.

Audio: 4.5/5 (DTS-HD 5.1 Japanese), 3.5/5 (Dolby Digital Stereo Japanese)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in Japanese and a Dolby Digital stereo mix in Japanese. The DTS-HD 5.1 tracks sound clear, balanced, and robust when they should. The Dolby Digital stereo track, while not as robust, sounds clear and balanced. Included are removable English subtitles.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a stills gallery, a newly created trailer (1 minute 29 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with text in English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with director Takashi Miike and Manga artist/writer Hideo Yamamoto in Japanese with removable English subtitles.

Other extras include trailers for Gintama, The Villainess, and Phantasm.

Summary:

Takashi Miike directed Ichi the Killer. His filmography stretches over 45 years and encompasses over 120 entries, including notable films like The Bird People of China, Agitator, Visitor Q, Audition, The Happiness of the Katakuris, Gozu, and Lesson of the Evil.

A Yakuza boss disappears with 300 million yen and is presumed dead. Kakihara, a sadistic killer and the missing boss’ right-hand man, is tasked with finding out what happened and dealing with those involved. Things run smoothly until Kakihara crosses paths with Ichi, a psychopath that a retired cop is using to carry out vigilante justice against those who have slipped through the cracks of the system.

If you are familiar with Takashi Miike, then you have seen Ichi the Killer and his most memorable film to date, Audition. Like all great artists, you know their work immediately; this is definitely true with the cinema of Takashi Miike, who often shows you something you have seen before or imagined. Adapted from a manga, Ichi the Killer is arguably the closest any filmmaker has come to bringing to life in a live-action film what's on the written page.

Ich The Killer has been talked about and analyzed thousands of times over. And yet each new person who sees this unique file comes away with something that is wholly their own. On the surface, Ichi the Killer is filled with blood, guts, and brutality equal to men and women and an occasional shot of semen. While below the surface, it is laced with a dark sense of humor, making all the imagery that Takashi Miike is bombarding us with all the more disturbing.

While most are drawn to Ichi the Killer's hyperrealistic carnage, one must not overlook how impressive the performances are, especially Tadanobu Asano (Gemini) in the role of Kakihara. His imposing performance is greatly enhanced by his character's scared face, which includes cuts on each side of his mouth, making an enraged smile. That said, he delivers a kind of intensity that often misfires in cinema and yet he manages to walk dangerously close to the edge without ever going too far.

A lot of what makes Ichi the Killer so special is not its violent tone but the way that Takashi Miike deals with violence in general. And if you go into Ichi the Killer with a sense of humor and looking for more than just sadism or gore, then you are sure to enjoy this film. My favorite moment in the film is the scene where Kakihara cuts off his tongue to prove his loyalty. What I found most ironic about this scene is how all the yakuza in the room turn their heads and cringe at the sight of his tongue being sliced off. Ultimately, Ichi the Killer is an orgy of carnage that hits all the right notes and makes all the right incisions.

While lacking in extra content that previous home media releases had, Well Go USA does give Ichi the Killer a strong audio/video presentation, and it comes with an insightful audio commentary. Recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer