RonMexico

I have a 35 dollar credit at Moviestop, and I want to buy one Asian pulp film with half of that credit. They had Audition and Ichi for 16.99 each. I recently saw Hostel and I want something along those lines. I have heard good things about both movies. Whats the verdict?

toddly6666

If you like gore - get Ichi the Killer
If you like scary freaky shit - get Audition

I'm not a gore-horror fan, but if I was, I would think that Ichi the Killer is the more re-watchable movie.

Groucho

I watched the first 30 minutes of Audition and then turned it off. Turns out it's a boring romance.

RonMexico

Thanks for the feedback. The only problem is that I like gore and scary shit. LOL

Slowpc

Ichi ... continuous gore .
Audition ... Gore here and there.

fnordboy

Honestly, get them both. They are both two very different movies, but are equally good.

Audition probably stays with you longer after watching it though FWIW.

Cinemaddiction

Unless you're kidding, offering a solid assessment, after a mere 30 minutes of viewing, is totally wrong.

"Audition", while a little slow to begin with, picks up, and really digs deep. Pretty unsettling. "Ichi" I have found to be incredibly overrated after having seen it 3 times, to make sure the opinion I share doesn't waiver. Doesn't live up to the gore quotent everyone proclaims, and when it does, it's more manga (a la "Versus") and really hokey. "Ichi himself is a boring character, whereas the Detective, whom many have mistaken for Ichi, is a little more intriguing to watch.

mnscout

Yeah, that's hilarious . Seriously, though, when I was watching Audition, I, too, was kind of puzzled by the first 30 minutes. I swear it looked like Miike was trying to make a nice romantic movie at first, and then, for no reason at all, made a sharp, terrifying turn into one of the scariest rollercoaster ride I've ever watched on screen. Ichi is completely different. It is so unplausible and over the top, I thought it was even kind of funny. Still enjoyable, I agree.

mbs

I'd go with Audition for the purchase. To me, it is more re-watchable than Ichi. But do rent Ichi (or buy it next), it is definately worth viewing.

logboy

the USA editions for either film arent the ideal ones. for 'audition' the UK 'collectors edition' is the best DVD of the film, for ICHI its the dutch 2-disc. this is for those that have their focus on a complete cut of the film with the best image - extras vary and theyre not really my priority (for example)...

marty888

Another for ICHI - once you've seen it, you'll never forget it. Audition on the other hand, I was forgetting about even as I was watching it.

FantasticVSDoom

If not both, I would say probably Ichi...Just more re-watchable imo.

RonMexico

Hmm so the consesus is: Audition is a rental and Ichi is a blind buy?

Peep

For fans of "Hostel", yes. They are both really good movies, but Ichi will probably be more your cup of tea. "Audition" is more creepy, suspenseful and chilling than actually scary, IMO.

Groucho

Serious answer: loved Audition, hated Ichi. The special effects in the latter film are terrible, as is the storyline.

RichC2

Loved Audition, Liked Ichi.

Ichi is the more accessible of the two - odds are greater that you'll like it.
Audition is one of my favorite movies now, highly memorable.

Ichi is more rewatchable, Audition is the better movie.

RonMexico

I actually wasnt a fan of Hostel. I thought it lacked something I couldnt quite place my finger on. It was about 45 minutes of Eurotrip, and then it went into a little bit of torture then it concluded with some sort of Bourne Identity nonsense. Hostel actually wet my pallate and encouraged me to get the "real thing" when it comes to gore and pulp.

brainee

I'd recommend "Audition" first. Like "Hostel", it starts like one kind of movie, and veers into disturbo horror by the end. "Ichi" was mostly campy/jokey -- I don't even fans of it would call it "scary". Though if all you care about is the gore-factor then "Ichi" has more of that.

RichC2

I'd agree too, Ichi wasn't "scary", there were a few mildly gross bits (title screen) but nothing actually cringe enducing or scary.. Well I take that back, thinking back theres a scene with a nipple that makes me cringe a little. Outside of that, it's so cartoonish it's hard to take seriously.

asianxcore

Ichi the Killer was based on a Manga wasn't it? hence the cartoony nature of it all.

I'm with a lot of other posters, I'd say if you like gore go with Ichi The Killer, if you want to be creeped out get Audition.

cultshock

I'm sure that serious Groucho would agree with you.

As other's have mentioned, AUDITION is a better film with some serious shock moments, (I'll admit I jumped at a couple scenes) but ICHI THE KILLER is a more gory, fun film with definitely more repeat viewing value (and many will need repeat viewings to puzzle out the ending). As logboy says, the best version of the latter film is the Dutch 2 disc set, it looks and sounds great, with terrific extras, but I think it might be out of print now.

Cheek

Ichi - although I like Audition, Ichi has a very different style, cinematography and soundtrack. Throw some humour in there and you have something you never saw before..

Don't take it like a normal movie though, it's a real life manga.

O, and like others said. Audition is a 'scary' movie, Ichi isn't.

But it is (!) http://www.worththepopcorn.com

starseed1981

It's all about Ichi. Once you see it a couple of times it becomes the funniest movie of all time.

"I am not Ichibana!"
hehehe

Richard Malloy

I love Miike. I own 17 Miike DVDs, and have seen many more (including, I admit, a number of bootlegs).

"Audition" is one of his best. "Ichi" is one of his worst. "Audition" represents Miike at his most carefully calibrated with acute attention to tone, pacing and bizarro psychology not seen again until "Gozu" and "Box". The latter typifies the lazier aspects of Miike's filmmaking, becoming almost a parody of "extreme asian" and going through the motions with the pat, typical genre elements and special effects gross-outs taking the place of the more deeply perverse and transgressive elements of his best films.

That said, Ichi is worth seeing, as are DOA-3, One Missed Call, Full Metal Yakuza, and the other lesser (I hesitate to say "throwaway") films. They are hilarious in their own way, if ultimately disposable ("Ichi" stands up to several viewings whereas the others really don't).

But these are not among the primo Miike, which IMO includes "Audition", "Ley Lines", "Rainy Dog", "Young Thugs: Nostalgia", "Visitor Q", "DOA", ""Bird People in China", "Katakuris", "Gozu", "Box". Any of these would be preferable to "Ichi", and "Audition" perhaps most of all.

Richard Malloy

Shit... all that I just said, everything in my previous post, probably not relevant for a "Hostel" fan. I don't think either film will scratch that itch.

"Audition" will be far too serious a work with, you know, social and psychological implications. It also tries to tickle the cineaste in you by merging the traditional Japanese family melodrama a la Yasujiro Ozu with "Psycho"-era let's-completely-fuck-over-audience-expectations Hitchcock. It's a sucker punch telegraphed only by the viewer's foreknowledge that this is a Miike film.

"Ichi" will simply be too jokey for someone looking for "Hostel" like horror. Understand that "Ichi" isn't a horror film; "Ichi" is a comedy (and not a particularly funny one though it certainly has its moments). I'm not sure how "Ichi" became so notorious among the fanboys as the violence is hammy and played for laughs, and the most transgressive element is rote S&M. For all its scaldings with hot oil, tongue scissoring, and yakuza split in half scenes, it simply lacks the inherent perversity of the best Miike. It's not just inspired by manga; it's all comic book.