05-12-2014, 10:05 PM
This one was the first Katsu production (Katsu as in Shintaro, not chicken - Shintaro Katsu is Zatoichi). The film has a much darker, grittier tone than the previous ones. It revisits some old themes, like Ichi doing archery in a fair booth, taking the smallest target and asking the booth person to tap it, and another one that I've just blanked on. Aw shoot, what was that? I saw it and thought, well, that's a good point for my DOOM review, and now I've blanked on it. oh bollocks.
Here Ichi is more accepting in his role of yakuza, even introducing himself to the local boss and extolling the code of the yakuza like some permutation of bushido. But in the end, he becomes filled with self-loathing and guilt. His killing indirectly causes great suffering, and the only path to redemption is to kill even more. I can totally relate.
This one is the bloodiest so far with several arm dismemberments, often with the katana still clutched in the fallen hand, and the first full on decapitation. Blood spurts more too, out of close-ups of throats and symbolically across a scattered chest of gold, split by Ichi in one stroke.
The tone of the film muddier, torrential rainstorms, more shadowy - Ichi is really sweaty and dirty, and gets beaten and bloodied a lot more than in earlier films. Half way through, there's a shift in this film as Ichi retreats from the plot and winds up hanging out with a house of wacky blind masseurs who are almost derogatorily comic. He thinks everything was resolved peacefully, but then finds out that it was even more messed up than before. There are many suicides. The damsel falls from grace in so many ways - brother slain, riches taken, raped, tortured, forced into prostitution - there's no redemption. When Ichi comes at one of the villains, staggering slowly and menacingly, covered in blood, it's disturbing, akin to the finale scene in Freaks.
There's a folk song from the farmers about not gambling. The music is way in your face with the finale fight being set to a variation of Carmina Burana. Katsu also displays his shamisen skills, which look quite convincing as it is shot straight on so you can see his strumming and fingering, and they match the music perfectly. It doesn't look faked.
The fights are still good, although - ahh, I remember that repeated theme - the scarecrow trick. He did it with a lantern in a previous film. Here he does it with a hat. Anyway, the fights are still good, although the sensationalism of chopped off limbs takes centerstage (let's call that the 'Black Knight factor' after MP & the Holy Grail). There are also flintlocks and amusingly, one goes out in the rain.
Here Ichi is more accepting in his role of yakuza, even introducing himself to the local boss and extolling the code of the yakuza like some permutation of bushido. But in the end, he becomes filled with self-loathing and guilt. His killing indirectly causes great suffering, and the only path to redemption is to kill even more. I can totally relate.
This one is the bloodiest so far with several arm dismemberments, often with the katana still clutched in the fallen hand, and the first full on decapitation. Blood spurts more too, out of close-ups of throats and symbolically across a scattered chest of gold, split by Ichi in one stroke.
The tone of the film muddier, torrential rainstorms, more shadowy - Ichi is really sweaty and dirty, and gets beaten and bloodied a lot more than in earlier films. Half way through, there's a shift in this film as Ichi retreats from the plot and winds up hanging out with a house of wacky blind masseurs who are almost derogatorily comic. He thinks everything was resolved peacefully, but then finds out that it was even more messed up than before. There are many suicides. The damsel falls from grace in so many ways - brother slain, riches taken, raped, tortured, forced into prostitution - there's no redemption. When Ichi comes at one of the villains, staggering slowly and menacingly, covered in blood, it's disturbing, akin to the finale scene in Freaks.
There's a folk song from the farmers about not gambling. The music is way in your face with the finale fight being set to a variation of Carmina Burana. Katsu also displays his shamisen skills, which look quite convincing as it is shot straight on so you can see his strumming and fingering, and they match the music perfectly. It doesn't look faked.
The fights are still good, although - ahh, I remember that repeated theme - the scarecrow trick. He did it with a lantern in a previous film. Here he does it with a hat. Anyway, the fights are still good, although the sensationalism of chopped off limbs takes centerstage (let's call that the 'Black Knight factor' after MP & the Holy Grail). There are also flintlocks and amusingly, one goes out in the rain.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse