03-03-2009, 12:42 AM
There's a scene in Ichi the Killer where someone gets hit over the head with a beer bottle. It's almost unnoticeable, occurring in the background of a chaotic fight scene. In fact, it's the mildest thing in the movie. I suppose that's why I suddenly notice it. It stands out.
When I see it, I pick up my beer bottle and hit myself over the head.
I wake up to a scrolling sky. Only it's not the sky. The credits are rolling. I'm drenched with beer, and my head is one big ache. And I'm pissed. Because I don't know how far into Ichi I was, and repositioning to resume from that spot is going to be a pain. Like I said, the beer bottle scene is in the background, barely noticeable.
My head fills the vault of the sky, shrinks to the size of a snow pea -- an agonizing throb. It occurs to me I might have a concussion, so I tumble down the roof slope and fall onto the mattress in the backyard (put there to simplify getting down). That just makes my head hurt worse. But I need to get inside, check my pupils. With an effort I make it inside and into the bathroom, where I look in the mirror. I've heard that one sign of a concussion is that your pupils are different sizes. But what I see surprises me. I'm wearing a hat. It's the type Napoleon might wear. I whip it off and toss it in the tub, stirring up the Madagascar hissers. Then I concentrate on my image in the mirror, studying the pupils. To my relief, all three look the same.
Back up on the rooftop, I spend three hours of fast-forwards and rewinds to locate the beer bottle scene. Then I watch Ichi from that point onward to the end. Only then can I relax. It's sacrilege to bail in the middle of Ichi.
When I see it, I pick up my beer bottle and hit myself over the head.
I wake up to a scrolling sky. Only it's not the sky. The credits are rolling. I'm drenched with beer, and my head is one big ache. And I'm pissed. Because I don't know how far into Ichi I was, and repositioning to resume from that spot is going to be a pain. Like I said, the beer bottle scene is in the background, barely noticeable.
My head fills the vault of the sky, shrinks to the size of a snow pea -- an agonizing throb. It occurs to me I might have a concussion, so I tumble down the roof slope and fall onto the mattress in the backyard (put there to simplify getting down). That just makes my head hurt worse. But I need to get inside, check my pupils. With an effort I make it inside and into the bathroom, where I look in the mirror. I've heard that one sign of a concussion is that your pupils are different sizes. But what I see surprises me. I'm wearing a hat. It's the type Napoleon might wear. I whip it off and toss it in the tub, stirring up the Madagascar hissers. Then I concentrate on my image in the mirror, studying the pupils. To my relief, all three look the same.
Back up on the rooftop, I spend three hours of fast-forwards and rewinds to locate the beer bottle scene. Then I watch Ichi from that point onward to the end. Only then can I relax. It's sacrilege to bail in the middle of Ichi.