Written by Jack Herbert

Pushing the limits of taste

Director Takashi Miike is famous for 2 things: being highly prolific, and making highly bloody films. Since 1991, he has headed over 50 theatrical or television projects � 14 in 2001 and 2002 alone. Many of these films feature gruesome, cartoonish violence.

His career started with TV productions. There are rumors that he made a number of yakuza-funded, straight-to-video movies in money laundering schemes.

He rose to fame in 2000 with the release of �Audition�, a startling horror movie, and �Dead or Alive: Hanzaisha�, a violent yakuza epic.

His most controversial film is �Ichi the Killer� (2001), the story of a sadomasochistic yakuza searching for a mysterious killer who�s targeting his gang. Gory scenes included a man being cut in half from head to groin, and someone�s face being sliced off. Sick bags were distributed at the movie�s premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, and the film was heavily cut in many of the countries it was released in.

However, his career has a less bloody side. Many of his films have been serious dramas, often about the lives of minority groups in Japan.