In the film, sadomasochistic yakuza enforcer Kakihara embarks on a quest to find his missing boss and encounters Ichi, a psychologically disturbed and repressed assassin capable of delivering unparalleled pain beyond Kakihara’s wildest ambitions. Directed by Takashi Miike, with a screenplay by Sakichi Sato and Hideo Yamamoto, the film stars Tadanobu Asano, Nao Ômori, and Shin'ya Tsukamoto.