Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Breakneck
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- grotesque
- transgressive
- frantic
- cult movie night
- extreme horror marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a stylishly transgressive and entertaining gorefest for viewers with strong stomachs, while finding its extreme violence and hectic pacing divisive.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Kakihara's yakuza hierarchy, pain-seeking behavior, and pursuit of Ichi embody a violent masculine social order.
The film foregrounds torture, dismemberment, blades, bloodshed, and exaggerated bodily harm as central visual motifs.
Anjo's disappearance and the missing 300 million yen initiate the yakuza search and successive confrontations.
Ichi's sexual repression and psychological instability are contrasted with Kakihara's compulsive pursuit of pain.
Films like Ichi the Killer, and why
13 Assassins
Shares splatter excess, criminal underworld violence, stylized brutality, and transgressive dark humor.
Dead or Alive
Shares Takashi Miike's confrontational filmmaking, criminal hierarchies, heightened violence, and volatile male characters.
Audition
Shares sadistic crime-world dynamics, graphic violence, psychological torment, and a highly stylized visual approach.
Movie Details
- Director
- Takashi Miike
- Release Date
- 2001-12-22
- Runtime
- 129 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (1154)
Cast
- Tadanobu Asano
- Nao Omori
- Shinya Tsukamoto
- SABU
- Paulyn Sun
- Susumu Terajima
- Shun Sugata
- Toru Tezuka
- Yoshiki Arizono
- Kiyohiko Shibukawa
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, Fandor Amazon Channel, Screambox Amazon Channel, Hi-YAH, Midnight Pulp Amazon Channel, Hi-YAH Amazon Channel, Cineverse Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Apple TV Store
- Buy
- Apple TV Store
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Ichi the Killer about?
- A sadomasochistic yakuza enforcer hunts a psychologically fractured assassin through a grotesque spiral of torture, bloodshed, and obsession.
- What is Ichi the Killer like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Ichi the Killer as breakneck, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Ichi the Killer violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Ichi the Killer as graphic.
- What did critics think of Ichi the Killer?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a stylishly transgressive and entertaining gorefest for viewers with strong stomachs, while finding its extreme violence and hectic pacing divisive.
- Which films are like Ichi the Killer?
- Films with a similar feel include 13 Assassins, Dead or Alive, and Audition.
- How long is Ichi the Killer?
- Ichi the Killer runs 129 minutes.
- Where can I watch Ichi the Killer?
- In United States, Ichi the Killer streams on Philo, MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, Fandor Amazon Channel, Screambox Amazon Channel, Hi-YAH, Midnight Pulp Amazon Channel, Hi-YAH Amazon Channel, Cineverse Amazon Channel.
