You know those revenge stories that are so often used in various Asian cinema, the ones that involve, like, Jackie Chan killing the killers of his brother or whatever? This film is NOTHING like that. However, that's as close of a basic foundational structure I can give you to help explain this amazing psychological look into a world defined by violence and masochism.
The storyline is much too deep to give a proper synopsis without either making it sound clichéd or giving away too much information, but basically it's a story about an ex-cop who brainwashes a tender, sensitive young man to kill all the "bullies" of the world in order to ignite gang violence. It involves a lot of gore and a crazy sadomasochist with a torn-up face who delights in feeling hunted by Ichi. Various characters all struggle to define their loyalties to violence which leads up to this absolutely stunning ending which frankly could never have originated in American cinema.
It's also quite visually appealing, both artistically and with gore. It's an amazing film that anyone with a strong stomach should take the time to hunt down and see.
--PolarisDiB
The storyline is much too deep to give a proper synopsis without either making it sound clichéd or giving away too much information, but basically it's a story about an ex-cop who brainwashes a tender, sensitive young man to kill all the "bullies" of the world in order to ignite gang violence. It involves a lot of gore and a crazy sadomasochist with a torn-up face who delights in feeling hunted by Ichi. Various characters all struggle to define their loyalties to violence which leads up to this absolutely stunning ending which frankly could never have originated in American cinema.
It's also quite visually appealing, both artistically and with gore. It's an amazing film that anyone with a strong stomach should take the time to hunt down and see.
--PolarisDiB