Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Being a prequel to one of Asian cinemas master works, this film, 1-ichi has a lot to live up to. Directed this time by Takashi Miikes right hand man, Masato Tanno, the assistant director of Ichi the Killer brings a fresh take to the world of Ichi. Apparently closer to the manga than Ichi the Killer was, though I wouldn't know as I haven't seen the manga comic.The primary setting for 1-ichi is a school, so this is presumably supposed to have taken place before Ichi the Killer. Nao Omori returns as the emotionally imbalanced Ichi, though the main character is really Teah from a Miike film the City of Lost Souls. To many people, Teah probably fills the shoes of Kakihara (Tadanobu Asano), and does an admirable job at it. He retains the coolness and equal sadism that Kakihara possessed. By the way the original music for this film was apparently composed by Tadanobu Asano, showing just one of the mans many talents.Teah plays Dai, the toughest guy in school. After a short intro of Ichi watching a boxing match we see Dai involved in a fight. He easily wins and spots Ichi watching the fight and smiles at Dai's initial misfortune. (One of his opponents hits him on the head with a flower pot.) Dai notices Ichi watching his fights. This seems to get under his skin.Dai remains the tough guy until Koji Chihara turns up, playing Onizame. A guy who just transferred and is a real bad ass. Its an interesting fact that Chihara forms one part of a comedy duo, who are famous in Japan. Rivalry flares up and it isn't long before their is a showdown between Ichi and Onizame. Who no one else can seem to beat up....For much of the film Ichi's rage is suppressed and it takes a lot of bullying for him to snap. There is a lot of fighting in this film and much of it is, in my opinion more disturbing than in Ichi the Killer as it is more realistic.The movie is also lighthearted as Dai's friends provide some comic relief. One of them has a fixation with part 3's of movies and the other one keeps changing his hair. Masato Tanno does an excellent directing job, with some great camera work and interesting filming. Slight tinting and fading shots etc. The film evidently has a smaller budget than Ichi the Killer and some of it seems to have been shot on digi cam, though this just adds to the great look of the film.To conclude I recommend that you see this. Its entertaining and a neat addition to the story of Ichi, who is a superb character. You don't need to have seen Ichi the Killer to enjoy this either.

I love this movie. I know it's not perfect and can't really be compared to the great movies that occupy the IMDB top250 list, but it's great fun. It's also disgusting. There are enough face smashing, broken bones and dislocated shoulders for everyone. I really love Teah and the guy who plays the main bad guy.I don't recommend this to those who hated Ichi the Killer, but I know that that movie has a lot of fans and those fans should see this movie. Just don't expect too much and you won't be disappointed.It's not quite as good as Ichi the Killer, but I really like it. I've already watched it 3 times so I guess it has some replay value as well.4/5

I am a big fan of Miike's film so I had to see this aswell as the average anime and I was not disappointed. 1-Ichi is a great intro into the world of Ichi and you can see what happens for him to become the deadly assassin figure in 'Ichi the Killer'. Fans of Miike's Ichi will not be disappointed seems it contains alot of violence but none of it is as graphic as in 'Ichi the Killer'. The only downside is that the great Kakihara is not in it. Nevertheless I recommend this because it is very entertaining and if you like this try the anime which is not great but basically a animated version of 1-Ichi.

1-Ichi origin is from the Japanese comic. A great prequel to the story of "Ichi the killer". It is a stand alone so even if you have not seen "Ichi the killer", you won't have a problem understanding this one. The fight scenes are great with lots of violence and blood. A short summary of the movie: It is about a Japanese high school student wanting the title of being the best fighter. Ichi is the best fighter because he can fight with quick speed. A great plus is that the actor who played Ichi is the same actor of the movie "Ichi the Killer". This movie is not quite as violence and graphic as "Ichi the Killer" but the story and the fight scene are great.