I've always liked the concept of rating things and ranking things but I just feel like there are so many factors involved with movies where just slapping a number on it can be tough.
La Haine is an all time great for me but it is not for everyone. Agree City of God is probably better
) slices it. What makes a lot of the film work and a thrill is the spectacular camera work. The cuts and streaks are just as daring as the torture devices and victim's geyser gashes. Mix that in with characters whose intonations are some of the most attractive I have heard and it becomes something that's right up my alley. In fact, the soundscape of the film is one of the most appealing aspect of the film. Some character peculiarities aren't important to the plot - which at the start of the film feels rather disjointed - but add an excellent touch of idiosyncracy to the film like a chinese prostitute's constant use of impeccable, attractive english to characters who only speak Japanese (yet they also somehow understand her), the whooshing sounds that permeate in numerous scenes or the cartoonish, almost pixel-like texture presented in some beginning cuts. Or a very funny, deadpan poke at twin telepathy. Still, the movie shows its age by moments. Or maybe not. 2001 wasn't that long ago but one would think better effects would have been available. Some of them are outright bad and look garish and cheap to the point of distraction and stupidity. This has the effect of creative a serious flaw for the film and I'm surprised they went by the eyes who a director and cinematographer who look to have taken great care in the flashy presentation of the film. If there were no better effects available, I believe they should have been discarded. It would not have negatively impacted the film or its desired ethos at all. A little more care with a less contrived plot would have helped as well since I said a little earlier, the plot execution feels a little sloppy at the beginning in the jumps between scene to scene and the story gets more and more contrived in the second-half with a couple of points that don't make a high amount of sense. Still, I highly recommend it for anyone who can stand the gore. It's an awesome ride.
Ichi the Killer (2001) - Goddamn. Lots of blood, lots of killing and don't hold back on the sexual kinks, with extra blood and extra killing on the side. A really, really fun stylized piece and I'm convinced that if Kakihara had been an american character in a Hollywood film, he would have blown up as a cult character in the culture's consciousness. Not because he's such a well-developed or particularly complex character but because he looks so utterly distinct, dresses flamboyantly and is a fearless sociopath with one freakish goal in mind, a goal he is relentless and depraved in his pursue. He is also acted flawlessly. In fact, the character and subsequent performance turns the title Ichi the Killer into a trick for the viewer. Yes, Ichi is a gonzo nightmare himself, and yes, he is, somewhat, the more developed of the two and his quirks are even more terrifying when you consider the complete lack of control he or any other has over them, but I do not think he ever dominates the screen Kakihara does. For one, the performance is far less magnetic and second, he doesn't have many important lines at all. He is, despite his extraordinary skills and bizarre background, always at the mercy of outside forces, all outside of his control as compared to the confident and collected Kakihara. The set-up makes for a mad story no matter how one approaches or (
When it comes to effects, I think Miike has always been a "close-enough-for-country" sort of guy as evidenced by this shot from Yakuza Apocalypse (2015):Ichi the Killer (2001) - Goddamn. Lots of blood, lots of killing and don't hold back on the sexual kinks, with extra blood and extra killing on the side. A really, really fun stylized piece and I'm convinced that if Kakihara had been an american character in a Hollywood film, he would have blown up as a cult character in the culture's consciousness. Not because he's such a well-developed or particularly complex character but because he looks so utterly distinct, dresses flamboyantly and is a fearless sociopath with one freakish goal in mind, a goal he is relentless and depraved in his pursue. He is also acted flawlessly. In fact, the character and subsequent performance turns the title Ichi the Killer into a trick for the viewer. Yes, Ichi is a gonzo nightmare himself, and yes, he is, somewhat, the more developed of the two and his quirks are even more terrifying when you consider the complete lack of control he or any other has over them, but I do not think he ever dominates the screen Kakihara does. For one, the performance is far less magnetic and second, he doesn't have many important lines at all. He is, despite his extraordinary skills and bizarre background, always at the mercy of outside forces, all outside of his control as compared to the confident and collected Kakihara. The set-up makes for a mad story no matter how one approaches or (
