03-03-2009, 10:54 PM
Ichi the Killer is a movie full of nuances. Every time I watch it, something new jumps out at me. The film is brilliantly multi-layered. The plot, characters, themes. The suspense. The little twists and turns, the ironies. One could build a religion on it. Not that I intend to. That would denigrate it. I just want to understand it -- better than anyone else, better than Miike himself. I've lost count of how many times I've watched Ichi. Over two hundred, certainly, but probably less than three hundred. And each time I catch something new.
Tonight is no exception.
This time it has to do with the protagonist. Not Ichi, the mysterious killer, but Kakihara who's hot on his heels. He's the blond dude on the DVD cover. You'd think I'd know everything about him by now. But I don't. I'm always catching something new. Like what I finally notice tonight.
He has a really wide mouth.
Tonight is no exception.
This time it has to do with the protagonist. Not Ichi, the mysterious killer, but Kakihara who's hot on his heels. He's the blond dude on the DVD cover. You'd think I'd know everything about him by now. But I don't. I'm always catching something new. Like what I finally notice tonight.
He has a really wide mouth.