Ichi the Killer
Kakihara (Tadanobu Asano) is a yakuza enforcer who definitely stands out in a crowd because of his blond hair, his strange facial markings, and the wires around his mouth. When his boss goes missing, Kakihara vows to find him no matter what, and no matter who tells him to leave the matter alone. Kakihara is a sadomasochist who enjoys receiving pain as much as he likes inflicting it.
In the course of his search, he discovers a killer named Ichi (Nao Omori), a young sensitive man who has
been trained to destroy the bullies of the world, having witnessed a very traumatic scene in his youth. He leaves a wake of death and destruction wherever he goes, and Kakihara can't help but be impressed. Perhaps this is someone who can offer pain beyond his wildest dreams.
Let me start by saying this is a very violent film, so violent it has been banned in various countries, not such which ones or if that ban still exists today. This is just what I read. Yes, very violent and visceral, but very well done also. I am not familiar with the director, Takashi Miike, but I understand he is very respected in the industry. This story was taken from a manga, again one I am not familiar with.
There are some very compelling characters and outstanding performances here. If you are in any way squeamish, I would not recommend it. That being said, there are some interesting twists if you can stick with it. It is a little long, over two hours, but worth the watch. Kakihara and Ichi are both compelling characters. I give this film 4 Stars.
Let's Kill Ward's Wife
To say that Ward (Donald Faison) is henpecked by his wife Stacy (Dagmara Dominczyk) would be an understatement. His friends have all noticed it and hate it. Not that they don't have issues of their own. David (Patrick Wilson) is a temporarily unemployed actor who is separated from his wife Amanda (Marika Dominczyk). Ronnie (James Carpinello) is an unmarried womanizer. Tom Bradford (Scott Foley) works with Ward as a reporter, and is married to Gina (Amy Acker), but he makes a date with a woman he interviews. Ward and Stacy hold a party for son Ramon's christening, but of course, Ward ruins it (at least in her eyes) and she doesn't stop ranting. Ward's friends watch the spectacle from across the room with great dismay. We need to kill Ward's wife is the general consensus.
An unfortunate circumstance arises in which Scott actually does kill her. Now how are they going to get rid of the body? Friends (and wives) have to stick together, right? There is a slight complication, though. Ward's neighbor Bruce (Greg Grunberg) is a cop. And he wants to hang with the guys and play golf. Think they can distract him from figuring out what happened as they dispose of the body and then report Ward's wife missing?
This is definitely a dark movie with elements of comedy. Which doesn't make it a comedy, per se. Nobody is perfect in this film, not the guys and certainly not Ward's wife. But I also think that maybe she is suffering from PPD, since Ward says she was fine until she became pregnant. This is like the ultimate bro movie - what would you do for your friend? Even Ward isn't fazed by his wife's death once he realizes he's gained the world. Interesting film. I'll give it 3.5 Stars.
No comments:
Post a Comment