The Movie: Based on the manga series by Hideo Yamamoto, Takashi Miike’s uncompromising Japanese thriller brings Yamamoto’s violent saga to life without sparing any blushes. Ichi (Nao Ohmori) is a psychotic killer enlisted to inflict pain on yakuza enforcer Kakihara.

The Violence: “Just a little torture, nothing special,” says Kakihara at one point. But this is special. One of the most brutal, bruising films ever committed to celluloid, Ichi features no end of gory torture scenes – including a prostitute having her nipples ripped off, and some brilliantly inventive deaths.

Reaction: Rightfully earning a name for itself as one of the most violent movies ever made, Ichi is a cult masterpiece that is a rite of passage for any lover of Japanese movie-making.
If you can stomach this, you can pretty much stomach anything.