mondojohnson

We are definitely in a golden age of Japanese cinema. As I’ve blathered on about elsewhere, they have far surpassed the US in the Horror & Action genres. And, of course, they own the whole field of Anime.

Ichi the Killer is not for the faint of heart. It is monstrously gory… but the lavish blood n’ guts are in service to an exciting Yakuza-mystery plotline. (Unlike the odious Hostel, where the plot only acts as a “gore delivery device,” to paraphrase the tobacco industry.)

The Yakuza, with its elaborate rituals and laconic machismo, provides a far superior story device than the tired old American mafia does. The last word on the American “mob movie” was expertly delivered by Martin Scorsese in Goodfellas. That film showed the true suburban banality of modern mob violence. The irritating Sopranos simply ripped off Scorsese for its schtick, if you ask me. So stick a fork in the Italian mafia cliche… the Yakuza is the only original source for gangster movies these days.

And Takashi Miike is a great, perverted auteur. (He did Audition as well.)