The title of Ichi the Killer appears to you from jizz overflowing from a flowerpot after our protagonist ejaculates while watching a pimp savagely beat and rape his girlfriend. That pretty much sets the tone of this film.

What makes Ichi the Killer stand out over the waves of other violent films (from Japan and elsewhere in the world) is its focus on sado-masochism. One character is a highly violent yakuza operative obsessed with receiving pain; the other is a simpleton who’s been manipulated into assassinating yakuza members—oh, and he’s also obsessed with rape!

Women are treated horrendously badly in this film; there are plenty of highly unusual moments, and it is clearly designed to shock you. So, buckle up!

Enjoy!

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Lady Vengeance is Park Chan-wook’s final exploration into the theme of revenge, and yet again, he finds new territory to explore. It follows a woman hell bent on revenge after being released from prison. Known to most as a kind-hearted woman, her dedication to revenge knows no bounds.

The ending is grim and phenomenal, pushing the theme of revenge even further to ‘organised revenge’ or ‘democratic revenge’.

Lady Vengeance clearly attempts to link to the other two films in several ways (the theme of kidnapping is again explored), and as a result, it sometimes feels a bit forced. Nevertheless, it’s essential viewing for lovers of Oldboy.

Enjoy!

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Oldboy gets so many things right—excellent plot, superb acting, an amazing opening, a filthy twist, and entertaining throughout. It put Chan-wook on the world stage, and it was only a matter of time before we covered this masterpiece on the podcast.

Oldboy is also one of Tobias’s top films ever and includes one of Craig’s favourite fight scenes. It’s a film that any respectable cinephile probably has on DVD locked away for safekeeping (as we do, of course).

And, Craig—for some strange reason—also put himself through the misery of watching Spike Lee’s remake and provides some commentary on how disappointing it is in comparison to the original. Essentially, it was a remake no one asked for, and it’s littered with poor decisions—almost none of it is redeemable.

We’re both super happy to discuss Oldboy along with the rest of the Vengeance Trilogy, to understand the film in the context of Chan-wook’s broader work. Many people likely don’t know that there are other films associated with Oldboy. In our next episode, we’ll complete the trilogy with Lady Vengeance.

Enjoy!

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