As sadomasochistic yakuza enforcer Kakihara searches for his missing boss he comes across Ichi, a repressed and psychotic killer who may be able to inflict levels of pain that Kakihara has only dreamed of.
Even hardy gonzo-cinema auds will likely find the hectic pace overstimulating to the point of numbed-out tedium.
– Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
8 Aug 2008
rotten:
The torture is strictly for kicks, which spoiled this for me, but less skittish viewers may enjoy this as a stylish and tightly wound genre piece.
– J. R. Jones,
Chicago Reader,
3 May 2007
fresh:
Funny, absurd, nightmarishly visceral and -- of course -- deeply serious.
– Geoff Andrew,
Time Out,
24 Jun 2006
rotten:
Any serious message has been sacrificed on the altar of excess, making us realize why the stylish story probably worked better as a graphic comic book than as a film.
– John Petrakis,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Oct 2003
rotten:
The unceasing sadism is so graphically excessive, the director just ends up exposing his own obsession.