7 | / 10 |
Users | 3.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.8 |
Welcome to a world where violence is a virtue and depravity is a way of life. This is the underside of Shinjuku, and the Home of Kakihara, a sadistic Yakuza killer. He relentlessly tears apart the underworld searching for the man who killed his boss. The mastermind behind the plot is Jijii, an ex-cop bent on turning the gangsters of Japan against one another. His trump card is a physically powerful lunatic who is constantly on the verge of snapping. This madman is Ichi, the killer, and him and Kakihara, the streets will run red with blood...
Starring: Tadanobu Asano, Shinya Tsukamoto, Paulyn Sun, Susumu Terajima, Shun SugataForeign | 100% |
Horror | 95% |
Dark humor | 28% |
Surreal | 22% |
Crime | 4% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps)
Japanese: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Japanese: Dolby Digital 2.0
Japanese: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit) / Japanese: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192kbps)
English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 1.0 | |
Audio | 1.5 | |
Extras | 4.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Director Takashi Miike quickly made a name for himself on the subversive end of Japanese cinema, often walking a precarious line between pointless gore and intriguing extremism. For those who can stomach his brand of entertainment, this Blu-ray release of Ichi the Killer likely registered as a highly anticipated addition to your collection, delivering what I'd hoped would stand as the best possible presentation available. We’ll get into the technical aspects of this release soon enough, but I thought I should dedicate an early segment of this review to a brief warning on the subject matter of the film, separating those who can stomach extreme violence and gore from others who should stick with material a bit more tame.
In a nutshell, Ichi the Killer is an unabashed experiment in sadist glee, sporting scenes of cringe-worthy torture, unexplained violence, stomach-churning rape, and buckets of severed body parts. If taken literally it’s nearly impossible not to be disgusted by such subject matter, but that’s the beauty of a cult hit such as Ichi the Killer. Without actually endorsing the depictions strewn throughout, there’s a surprising level of entertainment value in the whole sordid mess, leaving Ichi the Killer atop the list of films I enjoy, but would never recommend to friends or family. As such, I’d suggest a film this offensive stay out of the hands of the majority of the population and restrict my endorsement to hardcore genre fans with an iron stomach.
Talk about split personalities.
Presented in 1080p utilizing the AVC codec (at a measly bitrate of 13Mbps), Ichi the Killer looks downright atrocious in the transition to Blu-ray. I suppose I had my hopes up a bit too high in the first place, but how could we have foreseen the use of such shoddy source material in creating this "new" transfer. Beginning with the worst infractions, clarity barely surpasses the quality of a typical DVD release, colors appear ridiculously washed out (especially in outdoor sequences), and black levels rarely descend below a dark shade of gray. Adding to such profound weaknesses, there's a heavy blanket of noise creating constant movement in the background, and contrast struggles to separate gradual shade transitions. This reveals a blending of the darker elements in the transfer, often causing objects in the foreground to become lost in the background. We could honestly go on and on with the multiple complaints found on this release, but rather than bore you with additional details I'll simply let the screenshots speak for themselves.
While I appreciate the inclusion of dual lossless tracks to satisfy the preference of native language purists and the "subtitle impaired", the end result is a bit underwhelming. Switching back and forth between the lossy 2.0 and lossless 5.1 selections, I failed to notice much improvement in spatial separation, clarity, or the presence of rumbling lows. In fact, it almost seemed as if the lossless offerings were merely reproductions of the lossy stereo mix, but with the added benefit of minor channel separation. Comparing the English and Japanese (lossless) offerings to one another, I'd give the edge to the native language track, which offers a more robust feel to non-dialog elements, and more efficient management of the volume balance between dialog, music, and sound effects. The English version is still passable if you hate subtitles (provided you're comfortable with the odd choice in accents), but I'd recommend the Japanese option to anyone with even a fraction of audiophile blood running through them.
Audio Commentary with Director Takashi Miike and Manga Artist/Writer Hideo Yamamoto: This is the same commentary track found on the prior DVD release, presented with English subtitles.
Interviews (480p, Dolby Digital 2.0): Rather than going the easy way out on this release, Tokyo Shock went to the trouble of including an informative collection of interviews with the producer and main cast members. If you're primarily interested in character analysis from the actors that play each role, the obvious choice should be the latter 5 interviews. However, the best of the bunch in my opinion is with producer Dai Miyazaki, who digs deeper into the inception of the live-action adaptation of the manga.
Dai Miyazaki (producer): 18:35 min.
Tadanobu Asano (Kakihara): 6:12 min.
Nao Omori (Ichi): 6:11 min.
Sabu (Suzuki): 5:21 min.
Shinya Tsukamoto (Jijii): 5:18 min.
Sabu and Tsukamoto: 22:00 min.
Eli on Ichi (480p, Dolby Digital 2.0, 7:11 min.): Director Eli Roth (Hostel) gushes over Ichi the Killer and director Miike.
Ichi Gallery (480p, 2:17 min.)
Memories of Ichi (480p, Dolby Digital 2.0, 48:53 min.): Designed as a comprehensive behind the scenes documentary on various aspects of the production, this supplement is the true cream of the crop on this release. I wish we were given more interview time with Miike, but at least he provides adequate insight when given the chance.
The Cult of Ichi (480p, Dolby Digital 2.0, 10:21 min.): Various American writers and critics comment on their reaction to Miike's vision.
I'm not about to suggest Ichi the Killer is high art, but if you're in the mood for twisted entertainment and aren't easily offended, this should fit the bill. Beyond the usual film recommendation, this is one case where a technical evaluation should take center stage. Aside from modest gains in detail, the image quality ranks among the bottom of the Blu-ray barrel, sporting washed out hues and shoddy source material that struggles in almost every way. Additionally, while I commend Tokyo Shock on their decision to include multiple lossless audio options, the resulting gains are far from substantial, leaving us with little justification for an upgrade over the prior DVD version. In the end, I'd only recommend a purchase of the Blu-ray edition if you're a hardcore fan or don't currently own the prior release. For all others, a rental should suffice.
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