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Ichi the Killer (2001)

Ichi the Killer poster

Ichi the Killer (2001)

Overview

As sadomasochistic yakuza enforcer Kakihara searches for his missing boss he comes across Ichi, a repressed and psychotic killer who may be able to inflict levels of pain that Kakihara has only dreamed of.


Starring Cast


Where to watch

Philo logoPhilo
Apple TV logoApple TV
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Rating & Dimensions

Bias Rating
Analyzing...
Leans Traditional

Political: Center
Diversity: Moderate
LGBTQ: Negative
Trans: Negative

Viewer Rating
6.4

Overview

As sadomasochistic yakuza enforcer Kakihara searches for his missing boss he comes across Ichi, a repressed and psychotic killer who may be able to inflict levels of pain that Kakihara has only dreamed of.


Starring Cast


Where to watch

Philo logoPhilo
Apple TV logoApple TV
Powered byJustWatch

Detailed Bias Analysis

Analyzing...
Leans Traditional

Primary

The film primarily explores extreme violence, psychological trauma, and the yakuza underworld, focusing on character depravity and power dynamics rather than presenting a clear political problem or advocating for any specific ideological solution.

This Japanese film features a culturally authentic Japanese cast and setting. Its narrative focuses on themes of violence and psychological trauma within a criminal underworld, without explicitly critiquing traditional identities in a DEI context.

Secondary

Ichi the Killer portrays LGBTQ+ themes and characters, notably through Kakihara's sadomasochistic desires and gender non-conforming individuals in a violent yakuza underworld. These depictions are deeply intertwined with extreme violence, torture, and villainy, presenting non-normative sexualities as elements of a grotesque and problematic world rather than affirming or neutral portrayals. The net impact is negative due to the consistent association of queer identity with degradation and misery.

The film "Ichi the Killer" includes gender non-conforming characters, most notably Karen, a biologically male individual presenting as female. Their portrayal is primarily negative, as they are depicted as victims within a brutal and exploitative underworld, suffering violent and degrading fates. The narrative integrates these characters into its overall theme of extreme violence and sadomasochism without offering affirming perspectives or dignity.

The film does not feature any female characters who engage in or win close-quarters physical combat against one or more male opponents. Female characters are primarily portrayed in non-combat roles or as victims.

The film "Ichi the Killer" is a direct adaptation of the manga series. All major characters, including Ichi and Kakihara, maintain their established genders from the source material in the film adaptation.

The film "Ichi the Killer" is a Japanese adaptation of a Japanese manga, featuring a predominantly Japanese cast portraying characters who were originally depicted as Japanese in the source material. No characters established as one race in the manga are portrayed as a different race in the film.


Viewer Rating Breakdown

6.4

Viewer Rating

Combines user and critic ratings from four sources

User Ratings

IMDB logo
6.9
The Movie Database logo
7.0

Critic Ratings

Rotten Tomatoes logo
6.4
Metacritic logo
5.5

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