Quote:
Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs  I take it you say this as a joke? 
3 min 15 seconds is bloody ages.
I could walk a quarter mile in that time or listen to a Stealers Wheels song and cut someone's ear off whilst dancing round a warehouse. It's a loooong time 195 seconds. |
Having seen both versions, the BBFC have committed an atrocity.
Ichi has been led to believe that a girl he liked was raped by his bullies, and he did not intervene. Jijii tells Ichi that his targets are the old rapists, so that Ichi is compelled to kill them.
However, this backfires on Jijii, when Ichi begins to witness a prostitute he fancies being beaten and raped by a repeat customer. It recalls the invented trauma in Ichi's psyche, but this time it's different. Ichi is stronger.
The rape is a disturbing prelude to Ichi's fantasies. He need the rapes to happen, so he can intervene and dole out "righteous punishment." As such, Ichi needs violence to get his rocks off. He even tells his "princess" that only he will beat her instead. By removing the rape and misogynistic violence, Ichi is just a creepy protector.
This leads to the next issue. After Ichi's offer is rejected, he is distraught and confused. He refused to follow Jijii's commands, so Jijii convinces Karen to pretend to be the raped girl in Ichi's memories, and let Ichi know that she enjoyed being raped. This causes a major psychological change in Ichi. He now sees rape and violence to the ultimate expression of love and satisfaction.
The reason for this is clear when we know what Ichi and Kakihara represent.
Ichi is the ultimate sadist. He is the film, committing many violent acts for the viewer.
Kakihara is the ultimate masochist. He is the audience, taking glee in the horrors the film is displaying.
At the end, Takashi Miike forces us to look into ourselves. After Ichi realises the consequences of his blind lust for violence, he breaks down and sobs uncontrollably. Kakihara, expecting a big climatic fight, is let down. As such, he employs desperate measures to get what he (us) want.