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Ichi just may have been the first weird-o exploitation film I ever saw. The first time I watched it, I was only about 14, and I remember specifically feeling as if I needed to take a long shower after viewing. I've seen it countless times since, and I think it's safe to consider it as one of my all-time favorites now.
It's not necessarily the most visually impressive film, but there are a few shots throughout that still make me do a double-take when watching (just wait 'till you see the 'goldfish in the foreground' shot). The film's true visual strength is in the colorful art direction/wardrobe choices. The whole thing plays off like some sort of distorted, repulsive comic/cartoon (errrr... manga/anime...) with every gag in the flick getting even funnier with repeat viewings. That's another area where Ichi shines, despite its graphic content, the film doesn't really take itself too seriously, which gives all of its shock value a charm not seen in many other exploitation flicks of this sort.
I've never seen The Dark Knight, so I have no clue as to whether Nolan was inspired by Ichi or not, but I'd say it isn't all that unlikely.
Overall, hell, I'll give it a 9/10
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