Ichi the Killer ENDING discussion.

WARNING!!!! MAY SPOIL THE MOVIE IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN IT!!!!!

Just saw Ichi The Killer (Koroshiya Ichi) Uncut version. Suprisingly the most cut scenes in the cut version are those of non-gore, like the story of Takeshis father (the gunlosing cop).
Ofcourse they cut some of the bloody moments too.

What I want to discuss here is peoples view on the ending. How do you think it ended?

My thoughts 1:

Kakihara is the SUPER-Machicist and has the urge to be killed by the SUPER-sadist, Ichi. When he realise that that is not going to happen he fantasizes about it instead. Getting slized in the head by Ichi and then kicked out from the apartment building, crushed on the yard.

Jijii finds Kakihara fallen down from the apartment building with no scare in the head from Ichiｴs slize he realizes that Ichi did not kill Kakihara. Ichi donｴt like killing anymore. Jijiiｴs life is now over because what gets him on is to control Ichi. So he takes his life by hanging himself in the park.

In the final scene you see Kakihara still alive in his bathroom. And the boy (Takeshi) walking grownup in the park looking back at the camera with a sad face. Meaning probably that everyone could be a sadist-killer. (In the Uncut version there is a side story where Takeshis father helps Ichi when he got kicked out from a store. Then there is a scene when Ichi and the little boy switching places all the time)

My thoughts 2:
Or maybe Ichi didnｴt die by Takeshis kicking. Maybe Jijii and Ichi are the same person SCHIZO! One scene in the movie Jijii is trying to convince Ichi to kill again, but he donｴt want to anymore. Ichi and Jijii are in the same room, but when Ichi leaves the room Jijii is coming in from an another room!!!

hmm or maybe i got it all wrong.

[Nanahara]

I kinda agree with your first thought...thats what I thought happened also...

[Full_metal_gokudo]

I agree with most of what you said, kakihara sticks those needles in his ears and we see them pierce his brain and this leads onto his fantasy of the inevitable confrontation with ichi, yet he kills himself, but i think in the end that the boy, Takeshi kills Ichi, probably kicks him to death, and that Jiji takes the boy, to use him again like he did with Ichi, yet the boy somehow, possibly finds out that jiji uses him hangs him as we see at the end of the film, when Takeshi walks off and turns to look at the camera, though i may be wrong, possibly the thing you said about the killer can be in all of us is true. Thats why this film is great, leaves you with a lot to talk about. Anybody seen Miikes latest GOZU, that is certainly one of his weirdest and again requires a second viewing.

[jovial_jon]

i also agree with your first thoughts on the ending...the bit where kakihara smiles (a jaw dropping scene i think you'll agree...ho ho ho) ...i think thats him in hell - theres nothing to hurt him (i think this is touched on in the commentary from the uk dvd) - no chains or anythin like that....hmmm, i dunno

[jovial_jon]

by the way - is gozu by takashi miike the one where a minataur dribbles all over some guy? - i remember seeing a clip of it somewhere

[howabe]

I agree with most of this... however, I don't think Kakihara dies at the end - having missed out on the one thing he wanted most - being killed by Ichi, he's left to endure life, with only his mouth to keep him company... Miike's punishment for him if you will.

As for Ichi and Jijii being the same person... it's possible. When we see Takeshi kicking Ichi, he may not kill him, merely providing the catalyst for Ichi to kill "Jijii". If Jijii is Ichi's sadism and will to kill, the sadness and anger Ichi inflicts on Takeshi by killing his dad could make him come to his senses and lose the will for sadism.. thus "killing" that side of him... Jijii. However, for me, this just doesn't quite fit in with the feel I got from the film...