Koroshiya Ichi/Ichi The Killer

[Mark Nornes]

On Tuesday, January 22, 2002, at 11:56  PM, Don Brown wrote:
>  This is the kind of movie that will only serve to delight the fans of 
> this brand of cruel exploitation, no doubt appealing to those who look 
> to Asian cinema for the deviancy that filmmakers in other countries 
> dare not show so explicitly.  Worst of all, I'm sure the fact that 
> Miike is the director, as well as the big names on display will be seen 
> to give the movie some air of cult coolness, and a special dispensation 
> from the trashing it so thoroughly deserves.

I've been wondering if anyone was going to write this. I've seen only 
one of Miike's films, having passed quite a few chances simply because 
none of the celebrations I've read made me want to endure the brutality. 
But what's interesting is that Miike is being advanced as a leader or 
representative of current Japanese cinema in the familiar mode of 
auteurist celebration. My question is where is this coming from?

Markus