Miike layers a blood-stained commentary on a toxic world in which men offer protection to men but really end up dooming them to exist within a spasmodic, shambolic, and hypermasculine sphere of violence.

Unhinged even for Takashi Miike, Ichi the Killer suggests a bloody and ejaculate-stained Rorschach inkblot, reveling in ultraviolence that can be interpreted to flatter any adventurous audience's sensibilities.

Even hardy gonzo-cinema auds will likely find the hectic pace overstimulating to the point of numbed-out tedium.

As played by Asano in a career-defining performance, Masao is more than a visual shock gag.