ICHI THE KILLER Kills In 4K This Summer!
Takashi Miike is already off to a headlining start this summer with a 4K restoration of his 2001 live-action manga adaptation, Ichi The Killer. Miike oversaw the film’s upgrade with cinematographer Hideo Yamamoto, and both recently attended a screening amid the film’s nationwide release last week.
For those not in the know, a film like Ichi The Killer was ripe for the Asia Extreme era of Asian films at the top the new millennium. Hyperviolent, grotesque and shocking – and thus, censored in several countries – the film’s controversial nature is precisely what suited someone like Miike who got his start as a V-Cinema trailblazer in years prior.
Miike directs the film based on the work of mangaka Hideo Yamamoto, with a cast led by Nao Omori and Golden Globe winning actor Tadanobu Asano for the story of a Yakuza whose sadomasachistic pursuits and quest for his boss’s killer collide with a psychopathic costumed killer who wears a number “1” on his back, and a bladed heel to achieve the desired effect.
Suzushow Co. Ltd. premiered the film nationwide in 4K last week following a trailer, and a clip from the movie in which boss Kakihara (Asano) shows an underling who’s boss. Watch:
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