You have not seen The Story of Ricky. Okay, maybe you have. Then you are only reading this for a graphic description of someone’s head exploding. Or getting strangled with entrails. Boy, they really don’t make movies like this often, do they?
For the uninitiated, that intro might scream of torture porn, the sub-genre that has been populating mainstream horror for a while now. But Ricky-Oh is not an acolyte of such shockers. It instead operates in that strange realm occupied by the likes of Ichi The Killer and Lone Wolf & Cub (Shogun Assassin). It’s a pretty faithful adaptation of an incredibly violent manga series – a comic book movie done right.
Ricky’s story starts with a series of events that land him in jail. This is where we find him, being inducted in a harsh futuristic privately-run prison. Corrupt from top to bottom, any unfortunate inmate has to toe the line of the gangster bosses and cruel officials in charge. But Ricky is not unfortunate. He is a student of some obscure martial arts style that makes one super tough. No, really – in one scene our hero ties his nerves back together. Or were those tendons? It doesn’t matter, unless you are picking a fight with this guy. You’ll come up short – and very brutally so.
Riki-Oh was shot on a small budget and its special effects are laughable – and yet also incredible. If anything, this low-tech approach removes the film from those torture-porn sagas. You are less likely to cringe. Instead you’ll be shouting “Oh my GOD!!!” and cheer on our hero as he pounds a bad guy into an oversized blender. This kind of stuff can’t be made up.
Cinophile is a weekly feature showcasing films that are strange, brilliant, bizarre and explains why we love the movies.
Last Updated: May 20, 2013
Justin Hess
May 20, 2013 at 13:56
I love the moves too. When I used to go to the dance club, I pulled hectic moves and you can’t pull those kind of moves unless you have an especial love for moves.
I’m glad to see I’m not alone in this regard
Rince an repeat
May 20, 2013 at 14:54
What be you smoking?
Kervyn Cloete
May 20, 2013 at 18:29
Oh. Ha. Ha. You funny man. Everybody is allowed a typo now and then,
Justin Hess
May 21, 2013 at 09:43
No, I just like talking rubbish on occasion. Wasn’t being a grammar Nazi or nothing (that’s a double negative, btw). Just for the jokey haha
Rince an repeat
May 20, 2013 at 14:55
Kervyn, where can I get this? I ma assuming torrent sites?
Kervyn Cloete
May 20, 2013 at 18:30
I actually didn’t write up the article, James Francis did (@blahsum on Twitter), I just posted it on his behalf. Hence my snafu with the author.
James Francis
May 21, 2013 at 06:54
Yeah, you’ll have to dig online. There are also copies floating on YesAsia.com.
ElNicko
May 21, 2013 at 11:18
Check Youtube , think there is a Full version of this there. (and use Keepvid.com to download it)
xdvd
May 20, 2013 at 15:16
Hi Kervyn. I am the proud owner of this dvd and it is awesome. This guy will give Kenshiro of Fist of the North Star a run for his money.
James Francis
May 21, 2013 at 06:54
Good comparison – and I figure Ricky would win 🙂