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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
(aka "Ichi the Killer" or "Koroshiya 1" or "Koroshiya ichi")
directed
by Takashi Miike
Japan / Hong Kong / South Korea 2001
Welcome to a world where violence is a virtue and
depravity is a way of life. This is the underside of Shinjuku, and
the Home of Kakihara, a sadistic Yakuza killer. He relentlessly
tears apart the underworld searching for the man who killed his
boss. The mastermind behind the plot is Jijii, an ex-cop bent on
turning the gangsters of Japan against one another. His trump card
is a physically powerful lunatic who is constantly on the verge of
snapping. This madman is Ichi, the killer, and him and Kakihara, the
streets will run red with blood. *** A lot of severed body parts hit the floor during the grisly
course of Takashi Miike's Japanese splatter comedy ''Ichi the
Killer,'' including a nose, a cheek, a tongue, several heads and a
face, sliced off as if it were a mask. One hapless manis slit from
top to bottom by a samurai sword, his body left to peel apart like a
soggy banana from its skin. None of these effects are very
convincing -- if they were this film would be revolting instead of
merely repulsive -- but there are enough of them to make one wonder
what has happened to that once-famous Japanese sense of
understatement. |
Posters
Theatrical Release: September 14th, 2001 - Canada (Toronto Film Festival)
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
C
omparison:
WorldWide Cinema (NL) - Region 2,4 - PAL vs. Tokyo Shock/Media Blasters - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Tokyo Shock - Region 'A' Blu-ray |
Big thanks to Ole Kofoed and Gregory Meshman for the DVD Screen Caps!
1) WorldWide Cinema (NL) - Region 2,4 - PAL - LEFT2) Tokyo Shock/Media Blasters - Region 0 - NTSC - MIDDLE 3) Tokyo Shock/Media Blasters - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - RIGHT |
Box Covers |
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Coming out again in the US on Blu-ray March 2018 |
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Distribution |
WorldWide Cinema (NL) Region 2,4 - PAL |
Tokyo
Shock/Media Blasters Region 0 - NTSC |
Tokyo
Shock/Media Blasters Region 'A' - Blu-ray |
Runtime | 2:03:20 (4% PAL speedup) | 2:08:28 | 2:08:40.671 |
Video |
1.78:1 Aspect Ratio
16X9 enhanced |
1.78:1 Aspect Ratio
16X9 enhanced |
Disc Size: 24,062,991,095 bytes Feature Size: 19,041,097,728 bytes Average Bitrate: 13.48 MbpsSingle-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video 1080P |
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Bitrate:
WorldWide Cinema (NL)
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Bitrate:
Tokyo Shock/Media Blasters
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Bitrate:
Tokyo Shock Blu-ray |
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Audio | Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 and English Dubbed DD 4.0 |
Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 & 2.0 and English Dubbed DD 5.1 |
Dolby TrueHD Audio English 1276 kbps 5.1 / 48
kHz / 1276 kbps / 16-bit (AC3 Embedded: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 224 kbps) Dolby TrueHD Audio Japanese 1426 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1426 kbps / 16-bit (AC3 Embedded: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 224 kbps / DN -1dB) Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps Dolby Digital Audio Japanese 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps Dolby Digital Audio Japanese 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB |
Subtitles | English, French, Dutch or none. | English or none | English or none |
Features |
Release Information: Studio: WorldWide Cinema (NL) Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details: Chapters 32 |
Release Information: Studio: Tokyo Shock/Media Blasters Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details:
DVD
Release Date: November 18, 2003 Chapters 20 |
Release Information: Studio: Tokyo Shock/Media Blasters
Disc Size: 24,062,991,095 bytes Feature Size: 19,041,097,728 bytes Average Bitrate: 13.48 MbpsSingle-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video 1080P
Edition Details: • 6 Cast/Crew Interviews • Featurette "The Cult of Ichi" (10:21 in SD) • Eli Roth on Ichi (7:09 in
SD) • Ichi Gallery (total of 28 - Production Stills / Behind the Scenes) • Original Trailer
Blu-ray Release Date: February 23rd, 2010Standard Blu-ray Case Chapters 20 |
Comments: |
NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. ADDITION: Tokyo Shock - Region 'A' Blu-ray - April 2010: This release was delayed a couple of times but now appears available. I can't really comment on the colors - but the Dutch DVD still appears to be boosted - but perhaps more true - I don't know. The Tokyo Shock Blu-ray has, presumably, come from the same source as their DVD and hence improves in all areas with the 1080P resolution. It is sharper, a shade brighter, better contrast and a tad more information in the frame... than it's SD counterpart. I wouldn't say it is a particularly engaging film appearance regardless of the HD rendering. It's only single-layered with a very low bitrate (for hi-def).It offers a lossless, if low-key, HD sound track (both Japanese and English DUB). It has some buoyancy but separations aren't as deft as more modern film-transfers in the new medium. There are optional English subtitles and my Momitsu has identified it is being Region 'A'-locked. There are a couple of new extras (brief cast and crew interviews, 3 new featurettes) and the commentary is still there. It's totally your call on which edition you'd lean to. Because of the Blu-ray supplements and improved resolution - adopters of the new medium may wish to go that route - it may be the best the film will look, but I think it could look improved with dual-layering and, perhaps, a cleaner source. ****
ON THE DVDs: The WorldWide Cinema release appears to be sharper and the colors seem truer than the Tokyo Shock edition - but it is also boosted. The Tokyo Shock is washed out and boosted which has really made the image hazy in comparison to the WorldWide Cinema. The Tokyo Shock image is slightly cropped on both edges. Both releases have strong Extra Features with the Tokyo Shock having a director commentary. The WorldWide Cinema DVD has an extensive interview with Miike (30:00), with 3 other cast/crew interviews, 7 'Behind the Scenes' featurettes and more. Both have original Japanese 5.1 audio and both offer and English DUB track. the WorldWide has more subtitle options, but they both offer removable English. The WorldWide release is the way to go, but fans may also want the Tokyo Shock for the commentary. I have both versions, and I just wanted to point out something interesting (to me, anyway!) about the English audio tracks: on the Dutch R2 the voiceover actors have Dutch accents, but on the American R1 the accents all sound British! I'd love to know where the tracks originated. Either way, you're best off with the Japanese audio of course. |
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by Zhen Ni, Chris Berry, Ni Zhen |
Zhang Yimou: Interviews (Conversations With
Filmmakers) by Frances Gateward |
Chinese Films in Focus: 25 New Takes by Chris Berry |
Wong Kar-Wai: Auteur of Time (Bfi World Directors) by Stephen Teo |
Women Through the Lens: Gender and Nation in a
Century of Chinese Cinema by Shuqin Cui |
Tsai Ming-Liang by Tsai Ming-Liang |
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DVD Menus
(WorldWide Cinema (NL) - Region 2,4 - PAL -
LEFT vs. Tokyo Shock/Media Blasters - Region 0 - NTSC - RIGHT)
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CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Screen Captures
1) WorldWide Cinema (NL) - Region 2,4 - PAL - TOP2) Tokyo Shock/Media Blasters - Region 0 - NTSC - MIDDLE 3) Tokyo Shock/Media Blasters - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM |
1) WorldWide Cinema (NL) - Region 2,4 - PAL - TOP2) Tokyo Shock/Media Blasters - Region 0 - NTSC - MIDDLE 3) Tokyo Shock/Media Blasters - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM |
1) WorldWide Cinema (NL) - Region 2,4 - PAL - TOP2) Tokyo Shock/Media Blasters - Region 0 - NTSC - MIDDLE 3) Tokyo Shock/Media Blasters - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM |
1) WorldWide Cinema (NL) - Region 2,4 - PAL - TOP2) Tokyo Shock/Media Blasters - Region 0 - NTSC - MIDDLE 3) Tokyo Shock/Media Blasters - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM
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1) WorldWide Cinema (NL) - Region 2,4 - PAL - TOP2) Tokyo Shock/Media Blasters - Region 0 - NTSC - MIDDLE 3) Tokyo Shock/Media Blasters - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM
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Blu-ray |
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Box Covers |
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Coming out again in the US on Blu-ray March 2018 |
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Distribution |
WorldWide Cinema (NL) Region 2,4 - PAL |
Tokyo
Shock/Media Blasters Region 0 - NTSC |
Tokyo
Shock/Media Blasters Region 'A' - Blu-ray |