Takashi Miike
Director Takashi Miike is famous for two things: being highly prolific, and making highly bloody films. Since 1991, he has headed over 50 theatrical or television projects – 14 in 2001 and 2002 alone. Many of these films feature gruesome, cartoonish violence.
His career started with TV productions. There are rumors that he made a number of yakuza-funded, straight-to-video movies in money laundering schemes.
He rose to fame in 2000 with the release of ‘Audition’, a startling horror movie, and ‘Dead or Alive: Hanzaisha’, a violent yakuza epic.
His most controversial film is ‘Ichi the Killer’ (2001), the story of a sadomasochistic yakuza searching for a mysterious killer who’s targeting his gang. Gory scenes included a man being cut in half from head to groin, and someone’s face being sliced off. Sick bags were distributed at the movie’s premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, and the film was heavily cut in many of the countries it was released in.
However, his career has a less bloody side. Many of his films have been serious dramas, often about the lives of minority groups in Japan.
















2 Comments, Comment or Ping
Chris
Surely his most controversial film is Visitor Q. Ichi is his most renowned, mostly for the gore factor, but ‘Bizta Q’ deals with much more shady stuff.
Sep 29th, 2008
Sunil
I can’t wait for the stage play, which sounds like one hell of fun. Go Go is one of my fioturave characters in the Kill Bill series. She deserves more attention.
Nov 13th, 2015
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