Exclusive: ICHI THE KILLER 4K Remaster Opens Friday, Check Out The New Art

Well Go USA's brand new 4K remaster of Miike Takashi's groundbreaking gross-out Ichi the Killer opens this Friday November 10th at the Metrograph in NYC.

This film, alongside his masterful horror film Audition, introduced the world outside of Japan to this unique talent who has since made nearly 100 features (counts vary depending on criteria). In 2001, Ichi the Killer was unlike anything the world had seen. Not quite horror, but far from your typical yakuza thriller, Ichi was a blend that took Miike's visual flair and penchant for the baroque to ridiculous extremes.

The film features Omori Nao as the titular assassin, a closet sadist controlled by a handler played by Japanese indie legend Tsukamoto Shinya. When Ichi takes out a yakuza boss in particularly spectacular fashion, his underboss vows revenge, but little does he know that the man he's after may just be the violent yin to his masochist yang. The film really belongs to Asano Tadanobu who, as the vengeful yakuza Kakihara, delivers an iconic performance.

The new artwork plays on the classic Ichi the Killer key art featuring Asano's striking visage as Kakihara and looks really solid.

Ichi the Killer is scheduled for an exclusive opening week run at the Metrograph this week, with more specialty theaters to follow throughout the fall.