Reviews (33)

Unexpected Takeshi - Just as Expected
Takeshi Kitano's follow-up after Fireworks (Hana-Bi).
This time around, he's going with a gentler road tale about a young dumpy boy and the gangster Kikujiro (played by Takeshi himself) who's taking him to see his mother during summer vacation. The story examines the way the boy sees the world and the effect it has on his new fellow friend.

The result came up to a beautiful poetic and subtle movie.
This is nothing you have had from Kitano before. No deadpan depictions of violent hard scenes, but a pure sentimentality and such funny road movie. Of course you can still find Kitano's predilection for static long shots, poker-faced acting and elliptical narration.

I found it brilliant. Definitely Kitano essential.

~G.

Plenty of Action, Just not the kind You Would Expect
Kikujiro is a fantastic movie that really surprised me. I was curious to see what would happen when Takeshi "Beat" Kitano stepped outside of his usual role so I decided to rent it. The story is interesting because it shows what happens to a tough guy who unexpectedly becomes responsible for a young boy's welfare.

The story uses a lot of symbology and fantastic departures from reality that give this movie an almost fairy tale feel, then moves to the reality that young children need to be provided food and shelter. Many of the people that the two main characters run into seem to serve two roles, they all have their surface level interaction, but they all briefly take on a symbological role that show the similarities between the grown man and the young child.

It's very interesting how this movie is presented in an almost playlike fashion at some points. This movie shrouds it's deep insights with a cute story of a gangster looking after a little boy.

I highly recommend this movie.

Kitano does a family film...
I'm a huge fan of the films from Takeshi Kitano. I've seen all of his films he's directed (including the newer Dolls and Zatoichi) and I can say that I enjoy almost *cough Boiling Point* all of them and I really like his style of filmaking.

This plot here is about a young boy named Masao who just got out from school for the summer. He doesn't have many friends nor does he have much to do. After getting what appears to be a package of photos from his mother who Masao has never met before. A friend of his grandmother decides to let her husband Kikujiro (Kitano himself) take Masao on the journey. Misadventures and comedy follow.

Kitano has always been known for his crime films and dramas but this is the first time he's made a tolerable comedy-drama with his trademark subtle humor, slow pace and un-cilched style. If you've seen his films then you know what I'm talking about. He takes those qualities and makes a unique film with them. The acting here is pretty good for the most part, especially from Takeshi who is known for being a more silent actor, here he's a sluggish, rude and mean loudmouth with an attitude against almost everyone. It shows in some scenes where he lashes out on everyone around him. It's funny but almost absurd.

Now one gripe I have with the film is an almost gratuitious scene where a pedophile comes onto Masao. Nothing sexual happens but Kitano does get the sick bastard back in a funny way. That scene really takes away from the film.

Still this is a funny film. It's great to watch on a warm summer afternoon with the volume up loud. The soundtrack is done by Joe Hisaishi who's done some excellent work with Kitano in the past. The music makes you feel real good inside and it flows awfully well with the pace of the movie.

I recommend this highly.

Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!
This was funny funny funny!! Hard to believe that such a film was made by director known in the states for more "hard-hitting" action films. For some, it will seem a little long and a tad slow, however, I thought the dialog alone negated those "faults". It has a sort of "Life is Beautiful" feel to it and Kitano tries to "paint" his scenes rather than just film them. Not everyone's cup of tea but they should at least take a sip!!

A good movie without real excitement
This is the perfect example that shows how a movie can be exceptional without any action or excitement. For the narrow-minded movie-viewer, Kikujiro is just another boring foreign movie. As for the ones that are open, this film shows how kind some people can be even when things around them are harsh. One of the best things about Kikujiro is the music. At certain times, it can have an upbeat and happy tempo. When it is necessary, the music expresses a sense of being down, but still going on. Takeshi Kitano's character is a bad example for a father figure, but he learns to care for the boy that he guides. Nothing of significance is accomplished. However, that does not matter. Kikujiro is simply about life and the adventures we can have. That is why this film is one of my favorites that I can never get tired of. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

The Meditation on Time
I liked this film. It's a slow moving piece that grows on you. I agree that the dialogue could have been better (or maybe it's just the translation), but I thought it was a good cross between the hypnotic style of Kurosawa and an old-fashioned gangster flick. One of the reviewers said that it was just a bunch of guys waiting around. Well... that's partly true, but I found there to be poetry in the silence - much like in "The Scent of Green Papaya". We've been so brainwashed by Hollywood films that we get "bored" when nothing is said or done. This is not an action movie. It's a meditation on time.

I see it this way... You may walk out of a bloodfest happy to have seen so many die, but... is the movie going to stay with you? It's the quiet ones that haunt you. It's the ... moments that flash in your memory - watching the waves crash against the shore as the men play russian roulette... the full moon that hangs in the sky, waiting along with them. It's in the bonding that takes place. The last few minutes of the film will stay with me.

I liked this..

Gorgeously shot, hindered by wafery plot.
There's hardly any story in Sonatine. While that's no rarity in a Kitano film, Sonatine (a musical term) seems to follow the sense evoked by the title by abandoning all attempts at progressive story, concentrating instead on images of almost surreal aesthetic power, deadpan humour, and a bare script that makes the movie taciturn, neutral, and ultimately somber, counteracting the humour with loaded themes of damnation and revenge.

Watch Sonatine for the visuals -- it's a visual poem that at times, based on composition, colour and angling, can challenge even a visual masterpiece like Kurosawa's Kagemusha: The Shadow Warrior.

Sonatine
Sonatine is a great film on all fronts. Quite different from many other Yakuza-genre films, Sonatine tends to take more of subtle and effecting itinerary than the more common violence blazing, action-oriented routes. This film is far from voided of any violence, but it uses it affectingly: in droves or dispersed, that's all the really matters. Takeshi Kitano is always excellent (from Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence to MXC :); he alone can make a film worth watching. He doesn't need to in this one though; an all a round outstanding film :).

Good Beat Takeshi movie, but DVD is full frame
Finally, this movie is coming to DVD, but I have read in various places that the movie will unfortunately be full frame, just like the video tape. The DVD makers could have at least made it widescreen. So the movie gets a 3, but the DVD gets a zero for not having a widescreen version.

Takeshi's most bittersweet cinematic poetry
I've seen many, perhaps most, of Kitano's films and enjoyed this one the most. The film works rhythmically and musically better than Firworks (hanabi) and Boiling Point (3-4 x 10gatsu), and addresses the same themes (the isolation, futility and entrapments of yakuza life and violence, the beauty of the ocean, loyalty, revenge, desperation, etc.) much more succinctly and poignantly. Particularly the second half of the film, that takes place by the ocean, is full of bittersweet humor and a beautiful simplicity, which are a nice contrast to the violence of the yakuza underworld. This film also manages to escape the nauseating sentimentality of Kikujiro, yet remain true to its poetic heart. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Kitano is bruatal and great.....
Takeshi "Beat" Kitano has gained notoriety and acclaim in Japan as well as a large fanbase in the States, mainly due to his unique genre of films and his uncompromising vision and style.

Kitano does a great job in all of his films in protraying the brutal and violent world of the Yakuza, usually playing a character that seems cold at first but eventually having some amount of humanity in him. A common theme I have noticed in many Kitano films is the "unhappy ending". No peaches and cream here folks.

The title Violent Cop sums it up pretty nicely. Kitano plays Azuma, a cop who goes beyond the line that cops cannot cross legally. The movie is much deeper than the title suggests, however, because there are underlying themes of humanity, honor, and consequence. Tarantino has nothing on Takeshi, and after watching Violent Cop you can see why. Not many can pull off cold and brutal as well as Kitano can, and his characters are always intriguing.

This film isn't Kitano's best, but it's up there with "Fireworks" and "Sonatine". If you've seen Kitano's recent U.S. film "Brother", you'll love "Violent Cop", because it is more raw and disturbing, yet wonderful at the same time.

RISING GUN
VIOLENT COP is the first movie directed by japanese actor/director Takeshi Kitano in 1989 and the film is a very good surprise for the Film Noir amateur. As often in japanese movies, silences are more meaningful than dialogs but physical violence is filmed with a scalpel objective when necessary.

The movie is resolutely pessimistic from its first scene to the last images. The first minutes of VIOLENT COP will make you feel very uneasy, the director destroying in two scenes the universal phantasm of the innocence of childhood. In order to let the audience breathe a little, Kitano brings a little humor in the relations between the old cop and its new partner, a rookie who has chosen to learn the job by following him.

Takeshi Kitano has without a doubt a style of his own and the final duel involving all the characters still alive is a piece of anthology that stands masterfully the comparison with the final à la John Woo or à la Quentin Tarantino that have invaded our screens from the beginning of the 90's on.

A DVD zone Dirty Harry.

Action Speaks Louder than Words
Violent Cop is a definite Five Star Rating all around. Takeshi Kitano is one of the greatest directors to come out of Japan since Akira Kurosawa. This film draws heavily on the types of psychological crime dramas that we tend to associate with France. Like many of his other films, the dialog is very minimal creating an intense dark mood which is constantly built upon. The characters body language and actions give way to an emotionally complex story and make us undeniably attached to these rich characters. Fans of The Sopranos, and early John Woo action flicks will definitely enjoy; but Kitano is in his own league, with an ability to cross over many genres and appeal to more than just your average action fan. This is a great starting point to your "Beat" Takeshi Kitano collection, which only gets better as you watch and collect his other works.

Quiet (When the Guns Are Silent) Brilliance
Takeshi Kitano plays Azuma, a cop dirtier than Harry ("Dirty Harry") as he's decided that the world truly has descended into anarchy -- an anarchy the results of law or its lack of true enforcement. Taking justice into his own hands (literally), Azuma achieves results but (inevitably) not without a cost of his own.

VIOLENT COP is a picture of quiet brilliance, and the intelligence is found largely in moments of silence -- Azuma walking down the street, Azuma staring emotionlessly at a criminal before administering his own form of punishment, Azuma walking several paces ahead or behind of whomever he's with. Once the weapons are drawn, even these moments are captured with tremendous subtlety but plenty of blood.

The film cleverly gives Azuma an adversary -- a tight-lipped assassin -- who is as violent as he is, and, once the killer offs one of Azuma's oldest colleagues, a clashing of polar opposites is inevitable ... and well worth the 103 minute wait.

WOW
The title hit it on the head. Beat Takeshi was perfect. ... Read more

Reviews (50)

Emotive violent drama
I meant to see this in the cinema with a friend but we never got round to it so as soon as it came out on DVD I had already planned an evening in.
To give a bit of background, Kitano plays Aniki Yamamoto, a Japanese gangster forced to leave Japan for Los Angeles. In a place where he doesn't understand a word of language he finds his younger brother Ken. Within moments Aniki is up to his usual antics - starting gang wars and turns his brother and his drug dealing side-kicks into a prominent yakuza force in LA.
I loved this movie so much. Yes it's violent but Kitano never directs the movie as to glorify it.
It's not the violent moments that make the film but the more quieter moments where the friendship of Yamamoto and his new-found friends grow, blossom and fade all too quickly.
Omar Epps is sublime as Denny, whom Kitano's character forms an unlikely friendship and the two actors play off one another superbly.
Make no mistake, this is a violent film but Kitano still manages to inject some moments of hilarity. The board meeting with the Mexican crime lords had my sides splitting where Ken has to translate for his older brother, Aniki.
This is a beautiful, thinking man's gangster film - so unlike a lot of the tripe you see today. There's beauty, happiness, tradgedy and action all flowing from one superbly shot Kitano scene to the next. It has to be said also that Joe Hisashi's score and soundtrack are wonderful to behold.
If you're a Kitano fan then this is a must-see and it's also worthwhile if you've never seen a Kitano film and are looking for something refreshing in the action-gangster genre.
In my opinion Kitano's style will never appeal to the mainstream western cinema but this fantastic effort ensures that his fan-base and credibility in the west is surely justified and he can probably add some new fans after this one as well.
Compelling viewing.

A movie that makes Sopranos look like a network soap opera
Ok never heard of this guy knew of Omar Epps seen him do mostly Black Dramas so along comes this movie that had it not had him on the cover I probably would have ignored it so I picked it up read the back cover put it down came back a week later on one of movie nights at home and pop it into my DVD player and was loving it from the moment it started Takeshi kitano is pure genius he made me chuckle at his mannerisms but I loved his intimate relationship with Omar Epps character after running into him on the street. I'm glad there was a mix of races in this movie from Asain ,Blacks,Hispanic and,Italian.It gave the movie depth it made it seem more realistic. The only reason I gave it four stars was that the pacing threw me for a couple moments and I was tempted to fall asleep until the action started other wise it was a treat to see definently a buy when I can track it down on DVD.

boring
This movie was really boring. It was slow and uninteresting. the man who did this movie is the one trying to bring back the Zatoichi series. I have not seen the new Zatoichi movie yet but this movie gives me great doubts about how good it will be. His other movies may be good but this one is a definite time waster. Save yourselves.

One of the best films I have seen.
I am fed up with people talking about how kill bill is such a good film. I watched this film about a week after I saw Kill Bill and I honestly think this is the better film. I watched it 3 times. The way Beat' integrates american and japanese culture makes this film standout. The scene where his luitenent plays basketball with one of his brothers friends stands out. Another scene is when they go to attack the mafia, all you see is flashes of gunfire while this young boy is dead in the car. This is a moving film, asides the infruequent gore, You feel a great sympathy for the characters.
Kill bill has no technique at all especially when she is fighting the crazy 88 or whatever. I have seen more technique in Iron Monkey (an old skool martial arts film)The awkward ending leaves you distraught with no hope, but that is the point of the film and 'Beat' portays it that way.

Insight for Japnophiles, but Hanabi was a better film
Brother may seem like a whole lot of meaningless gore, and in fact I don't think it was a particularly well-made or enjoyable movie, but it provides valuable insight into the Japanese perception of their place in the world. I'm not sure this was intended by the director, but it makes a very interesting contrast to, for example, "Rising Sun", another fairly average movie (can't comment on the book, haven't read it), which showed a very American perspective of the Japanese.

Whereas in Rising Sun, we saw the Japanese as sneaky little yellow men hiding their prejudices, corruption and kinky sex behind polite smiles and a facade of high culture, here Kitano portrays them (or at least the Yakuza) as noble, loyal, selfless, brave warriors, willing to sacrifice all to protect their honour. Quite a contrast!

Rising Sun showed Westerners (represented by the US alone, as usual) as passionate but ultimately rational, independent-minded for the better, and, for the most part at least, genuine (in a "what you see is what you get" sense). Kyoudai (incidentally, the title refers not to any blood relationship between the two main characters - there was none!, but to the "brotherhood" of the Yakuza) shows Westerners as emotionally out-of-control, intellectually lacking, hopelessly disorganised and incapable of any subtlety or restraint. From considerable experience in Japan I can assure you that this is an accurate representation of the stereotype held by many Japanese.

Another (I think) accurate representation of the Japanese mindset in this film lies in the ease with which the Japanese muscle-in on the US underworld. With their diligence, their capacity for cooperation and self-sacrifice towards long-term, collective goals, how could they possibly fail against this disorganised rabble of Westerners?! - this is the attitude presented, and mostly validated in this film. It's very interesting, then, that the "brotherhood" are ultimately unsuccessful in their power-bid. Is this a symbolic recognition that the US has remained militarily and economically supreme? At the least, I feel that the way in which Kitano's character dies again reflects an important facet of the Japanese mindset, being the attitude that there is only ever a choice of complete victory or total failure, conquering the whole of Asia or being stripped of all military power, scoring highly in the University entrance exams or dropping out of the academic world completely - there is absolutely no room for compromise or mediocrity, and thus a willingness follows to sacrifice everything in the bid for that absolute, and possibly elusive, victory. Of course, this has alarming implications for Japan's potential return to military and/or economic power.

But if you want, you can forget my interpretations and just see this movie as a whole lot of meaningless gore. ... Read more

Reviews (52)

Outstanding movie, but this DVD is CUT!!!!!
Fireworks (released internationally as "Hana-Bi") was the seventh film directed by Takeshi Kitano, Japanese comedian, novelist, essayist, short story writer, poet, critic, musician, cartoonist, painter and filmaker.

Kitano (always credited as "Beat" Takeshi as an actor) wrote the screenplay and stars as Nishi, a tough cop struggling to cope with the recent death of his daughter while caring for his leukemia stricken wife. One day, at his partner's urging, he takes a break from a stakeout to visit his wife at the nearby hospital where she's being treated. In his absence, things go terribly wrong; his partner is left crippled and another officer is killed.

Kitano plays Nishi like a man holding the weight of the world on his shoulders, struggling to maintain composure in the wake of a tragedy that has shattered the lives of people close to him. The quiet dignity with which he carries himself is compromised only by an occasional facial tic, which we see while he listens to his ex-partner reveal that his family abandoned him after the shooting and later when the dead officer's widow pours her heart to him about the emotional and financial difficulties of raising her daughter alone.

Hoping to make his wife's final days more pleasant, he borrows money from a local Yakuza, but when he falls behind on the interest payments, he becomes the subject of harrassment and threats. Determined to correct everything that's gone wrong, Nishi decides to rob a bank to pay back the Yakuza and take care of his wife, ex-partner and the widow of the slain officer. The situation escalates out of control, resulting in an understated, but powerful climax.

This film won the Golden Lion award for Best Picture at the 1997 Venice International Film Festival and propelled Kitano to the forefront of Japanese cinema. It's considered by many critics and fans to be Kitano's best movie, though I consider his 2002 release "Dolls" (unavailable on U.S. DVD) to be a strong contender for that distinction.

Now, the problem with this DVD. The transfer itself is fine. The film is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 with clear, well translated subtitles and some nice features. However, the disc is inexplicably missing aproximately 4 minutes of footage. Why a company like New Yorker Films, which specializes in art house releases, would release a truncated version of such a seminal work, is anyone's guess, but American companies have not been kind to Kitano's works. Any DVD released stateside of his films has a much better version overseas. I strongly urge anyone interested in this film to look for the uncut Korean special edition DVD (under the original title "Hana-Bi"), which is NTSC and region free (despite being labled Region 3 on the box)), so it will play on any North American DVD player. It has excellent subtitles and even costs a few dollars less than the incomplete American version.

FIRST-CLASS DVD FOR A FIRST-CLASS DIRECTOR
Winner of the Golden Lion of the 1997 Venice Film Festival, HANA-BI aka FIREWORKS is the movie that revealed japanese director Takeshi "Beat" Kitano to the international movie audience. Only a few curious movie lovers knew then Takeshi Kitano through SONATINE, A SCENE AT THE SEA or BOILING POINT.

Firstly, I would like to point out the superb quality of this DVD presentation of New Yorker Films. Theatrical trailers (american and japanese), filmographies of the main actors, an excellent featurette presenting Kitano at work during FIREWORKS shooting, a gallery of Kitano's paintings and, last but not least, interviews of the director discreetly hidden in the scene access department of the DVD. Thank you for these bonus features that allow us to know a little better this very interesting director.

Like in Kitano's precedent movies, FIREWORKS describes the consequences of a crucial decision taken by the main character of the movie. Takeshi "Nishi" Kitano has had a bad year : his wife is slowly dying at the local hospital and his best friend is confined in a wheelchair, shot while Nishi was visiting his wife. Nishi robs a bank and decides to offer to his wife a trip into the japanese countryside before facing the consequences of his act.

A good introduction into the imaginary world of this first-class director.

Haiku + .45 Semi Automatic = Hana Bi
Simply stated, the most important film of the 1990's; probably of the last twenty years. The film is in its entirety a meditative experience, combining a slow and calm build-up of chi or prana-force-energy with explosive violence. Beat Takeshi's violence, however, is not gratuitous, but righteous anger in action. As a schizoid world falls down around him, Takeshi takes the role of Samurai -- indeed, "such a man was already Samurai." This is a film of mystery, of soft color and light ocean breezes from the South China Sea, and of poetry. If the warrior immortalized in Book of Five Rings or Gitopanishad has an equivalent in modern times, surely it would be in this strange character, this Japanese-style Colonel Kurtz in Hana-Bi. But then, you must watch this film for yourself. You will not be the same person when it is over.

Fire and Flower
"Fireworks" is a direct translation of the Japanese title "Hanabi," which combines the two words "fire" and "flower." The title was chosen due to the juxtaposition of the calm beauty of a flower, and the burning intensity of fire, which perfectly captures the feeling of this Beat Takeshi masterpiece.

I was expecting quite a different film, one more packed with violence and action, something more along the lines of a John Woo/Chow Yun Fat creation. Instead, this is a calm, understated and emotional film peppered with miniature explosions like...fireworks. The pacing of the film is typical of Japanese storytelling, patient and quiet allowing enough time for a story to build fully and characters to live and die on the screen.

Takeshi gives such a complete performance, saying everything with a glance or a movement. Dialog is almost unnecessary, although when it does come it punctuates the scene fluently. He is equal parts warrior and lover, tender and hard. Kayoko Kishimoto delivers an equally wonderful performance as Miyuki, Nishi's wife, dying of leukemia yet able to charm with a smile.

Visually, the movie is stunning, full of creative scenes and transitions. Takeshi knows when to have the action appear off-camera, and when to focus. The use of nature as an element in the film is beautiful, as the story moves from snow to sea to mountain.

Takeshi "Beat" Kitano is one of Japan's greatest modern filmmakers, and "Fireworks" is one of his greatest film. A stunning film.

A beautiful Aria
From "Beat" Takeshi Kitano, Fireworks plays like a beautiful aria. It's the story of a man who has suffered tremendous tragedy in his life, and makes one final attempt to make peace with himself, the world, and his wife who is dying of Cancer. The amazing music score by Joe Hisaishi (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke) adds massive depth to the already intense images revealed. Quite possibly Takeshi Kitano's masterpiece it also includes beautiful montages of Kitano's own paintings. The film was made after Kitano had a serious motorcycle accident and deals with his feelings over neglecting his family over the years, and the power of redemption. A must have for all those who appreciate Foreign Films, and especially those who appreciate Japanese Film. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Japanese TV star, comedian, and sophomore director "Beat" Takeshi Kitano added screenwriter to his résumé for his second feature, theoffbeat story of meek, passive gas station attendant and benchwarming minor-league baseball player Masaki (Masahiko Ono), who finally rebels against the insults and abuse. His timing couldn't be worse, however, for he lashes out against an ill-mannered yakuza soldier. When the local crime boss embarks on a campaign of harassment and beatings aimed at Masaki's coworkers and baseball teammates, Masaki flies off to Yokohama to buy a gun, and falls in with a charismatic but brutal gangster (Takeshi) who has his own score to settle with the yakuza. Perhaps Kitano's most oblique film, Boiling Point is made up primarily of digressions, notably the rambling middle, where Takeshi's disgraced mobster takes Masaki and his pal on a tour of local nightlife, a sequence of pokerfaced gags and dry, ironic humor twisted around Takeshi's brutal, misogynist antics. The film lacks the drive and compelling narrative of Takeshi's other gangster pictures (notably his masterpiece, Sonatine, which revives many of the cinematic ideas first explored in this film), but rises to life in some astounding sequences: a flashforward delivered as an adrenaline rush of images, the chilling yet comic eruption of a bouquet of flowers, and an underplayed apocalyptic climax, followed by a tender coda. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Simple fun, but the ending ruins the whole film
Takeshi Kitano before his epic Sonatine was a very mixed bag of tricks with his filmography. Violent Cop used most of his trademarks lightly, the only one focused on in Violent Cop was the violence and slience. Even though this is a weaker film, it is a step foward for Kitano with his trademark style of violence, humor, silence and subtlety.

But I have some major issues with this film. First off, it's extremely slow. I mean SLOW. It's the slowest film I've ever seen. The first 40 minutes has maybe one or two things that have to do with the plot, it's like Kitano left the film on the cutting floor and took it as it is. Another issue is how shallow the film is, everyone is a negative, unhappy person. Kitano is known for having many different characters in his films that potray all the emotions he should be. But here everyone is gloomy and sad, including the main character.

But those issues are the main problems with the film. One thing I found interesting more rather then entertaining was the use of no music. I mean no music at all, no Joe Hisaishi tunes or simple beats. Nothing, it makes the film feel way more real life and it's interesting to see. Another is the weird editing and camerawork. In one scene a guy in a baseball field runs back and forth trapped in between bases, the camera is on the second base in a first person type image. It's actually funny. I won't go too much into the story, try to read the story rundown elsewhere. But the last thing that interested me was the randomness. Humor and violence come out of nowhere in small doses, and have less to do with the film itself. Fights on the sidewalk, car and motorcycle crashes, shootings, beatings and rape seem to come and go, that also makes the film feel more real life.

But as a Kitano film, it's a huge letdown if you're expecting something like Hana Bi (Fireworks), Sonatine or Violent Cop. It's a simple story told in the Kitano narrative.

Hardly recommended for Kitano fans.

...
Boiling Point is less of a plot driven movie than the summaries indicate... the best way to describe it would be the thick gauze wrap around a severed finger of a plot. A sort of pseudo-revenge epic that contains less gun-fu than the cover would seem to indicate, and about the equivalent of fifteen minutes of plot from a typical action flick. It composes itself with oddball jokes and deadpans, and the moments loosely organized around the plot and their cast of characters, most of whom fall into descriptions ranging from "eccentricly normal", "psychopathically eccentric", and "stereotyped".

If you're familiar with Kitano's penchant oddball gags and Jarmusch-like deadpans, airiness, and genre inversions, you know what to expect here, if you're just looking for a fast paced gangster or action movie, look elsewhere (and please stop writing 1 star reviews). I loved it.

Not a good movie...
I am a big fan of Japanese and Hong Kong movies. This is by far one of the worst movies I have ever seen. I actually stopped watching it after an hour (if you find scenes of someone walking silently for two minutes interesting this is for you!)

Try "Made in Hong Kong" instead - an excellent film.

Kept me glued.
A twisting story line and beautiful cinematography. Confused and confusing characters.

Last shot will have you re-think the whole movie and explains the choppy, sometimes inconsistent, narrative and players.

Something different. Loved it. Give it a shot.

JUST DON'T PLAY BY THE RULES !
BOILING POINT is the second movie shot in 1990 of the japanese writer-director Takeshi -Beat- Kitano. This DVD, apart of the widescreeen version of the movie, offers english subtitles, a trailer which is absolutely stunning, the filmography of Kitano and...nothing else. Meager.

BOILING POINT defies our usual analytic technique because the director simply doesn't play by the rules. The movie is satyric in its description of the world of the japanese yakuzas and their archaeological codes, funny with its visual gags and the well-known elliptic Kitano style, arty, in the positive meaning of the word, when Takeshi -Uehara- Kitano experiments an incredible flash-forward in his car, disturbing as Uehara's girl is slapped numerous times without any obvious reasons by the angry mobster.

The plot of BOILING POINT develops these structural options in a metaphorical way. The young secretive hero is fond of the baseball game and, one day, he does have the opportunity to give to his team a superb victory. But, seconds before the end of his run, he passes in front of one of his teammates and is disqualified : he too doesn't play by the rules.

I liked a lot this movie even if, in my opinion, the screenplay is far more interesting than the images themselves. But this weakness is often common in the first movies of writers/directors. So let's be patient.

A DVD zone No Respect. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Back to the School Yard
_Kids Return_ marks the 5th film directed by Kitano Takeshi that I have had the pleasure to watch. Unlike the pure sentimentality of _Kikujiro_, the brutality and arthouse elegance of _Fireworks_ the near silent _Scene at the Sea_, and the over the top madness of _Getting Any?_, _Kids Return_ is a simpler story that depicts the lives of two high schoolers Masaru and Shinji.

Masaru, Ken Kaneko, _Himitsu_, is a brash young man with chin length hair who enjoys bullying other students for pocket money. He also enjoys playing a number of jokes on his teachers. Sick of his delinquent ways his teachers give up actually teaching him anything and patiently wait till the day he will graduate. Things seem to be going pretty well for Masaru until one day an amatuer boxer beats him up avenging one of the schoolers Masaru had robbed earlier. Masaru soon drops out of school and joins a boxing gym

Shinji, Masanobu Ando, _Tribute to a Sad Genius_, _Battle Royale_, almost seems to be the polar opposite of Masaru. Whereas Masaru roughs up a number of individuals to get their money, Shinji just goes along with his friend silently. After Masaru quits school and joins the gym, Shinji quickly follows suit.

However, it is soon evident that Shinji has more athletic ability than his friend, and after Masaru quits after losing a sparring match to Shinji, Shinji's star continues to rise in the amateur boxing world. Masaru, looking for a place to belong, joins the yakuza and tries to find his niche in organized crime.

However, things do not work out quite like he two friends would hope.

DVD quality isn't.......
As far as the review of the movie, I must concur with all positive writtings about it. HOWEVER, I must stress that the movie wasn't remastered or anything, hence the DVD quality is actually below satisfactory level. What a shame, coz' the movie IS kick-a**!!

...
More than any other movie I've seen, Kids Return does the all-too-impossible-but-very-simple job of portraying the inevitable drift through the societal meat grinder young adults generally face (friendships fading into the past, troubles with love, school and finidng a career, and... the moments when all those small 'insignificant' things you neglected or avoided and otherwise didn't do suddenly turn into a 50' tall tsunami hitting you point blank). Natch, I can't say if it was Kitano's intent to do so, but it's a significant part of what I noticed, understood, and enjoyed.

Stylistically, this is the best Kitano movie I've seen. Although I'm constantly tempted to call into question his taste in music, the persistant, if somewhat cheesy scores' driving qualities seem to enchant his movies (If only someone would slide him some recordings of Phillip Glass, Steve Reich, or even Marjan Mozetich). The visual elements are also terrific as ususal (and maybe more so). The most siginificant improvement Kids Return makes over every other Kitano movie I've seen is in the narrative/presentation... it's done in a manner that has a sort of blurred focus... never concentrating on its main characters for long before switiching over to another character, which is really what allows it to convey that 'societal meat grinder' mentioned earlier. This vaguely reminded me of Nashville, but unlike Altman's multi-character orgies, Kids Return seems to have a more intimate focus on its characters and their general situation.

At any rate, Kids Return, along with Kikujiro and A Scene at the Sea, is a good introduction to Takeshi Kitano's movies for those non-action fans who were turned off by his more famous ones like Hana-Bi and Brother (as opposed to the action junkies who were appaled that they wern't 99% car chase and raid on enemy headquarters).

A great movie, probably more so for Kitano fans
I took this movie on the shelf one day even though I had never heard of it, only to discover how great it was.I've never been that big a fan of Takeshi Kitano, but I have to say that Kid's Return is a great movie and in my opinion his best. It's very funny, especially in the beginning and has a great score. It seems like most movies involving boxing never fail.

Once again Kitano does it right!
Kid's return is Takeshi Kitano's fifth movie. Born in Tokyo in 1947, Takeshi's movies are filled with childhood memories. Kids return is once again a masterpiece. Two friends go back to their school and talk about the past, when they first met. In the beginning, they are enemies but as the time goes by, they end up as best friends, and become bullies. Boxing is the element that has linked them but only one of them follows a boxing carrier while the other turns out to be a Yakuza. A very fine movie full of intense moments. If you are a Kitano fan, get it into your collection. I can promise that you won't regret it! ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Kitano is bruatal and great.....
Takeshi "Beat" Kitano has gained notoriety and acclaim in Japan as well as a large fanbase in the States, mainly due to his unique genre of films and his uncompromising vision and style.

Kitano does a great job in all of his films in protraying the brutal and violent world of the Yakuza, usually playing a character that seems cold at first but eventually having some amount of humanity in him. A common theme I have noticed in many Kitano films is the "unhappy ending". No peaches and cream here folks.

The title Violent Cop sums it up pretty nicely. Kitano plays Azuma, a cop who goes beyond the line that cops cannot cross legally. The movie is much deeper than the title suggests, however, because there are underlying themes of humanity, honor, and consequence. Tarantino has nothing on Takeshi, and after watching Violent Cop you can see why. Not many can pull off cold and brutal as well as Kitano can, and his characters are always intriguing.

This film isn't Kitano's best, but it's up there with "Fireworks" and "Sonatine". If you've seen Kitano's recent U.S. film "Brother", you'll love "Violent Cop", because it is more raw and disturbing, yet wonderful at the same time.

RISING GUN
VIOLENT COP is the first movie directed by japanese actor/director Takeshi Kitano in 1989 and the film is a very good surprise for the Film Noir amateur. As often in japanese movies, silences are more meaningful than dialogs but physical violence is filmed with a scalpel objective when necessary.

The movie is resolutely pessimistic from its first scene to the last images. The first minutes of VIOLENT COP will make you feel very uneasy, the director destroying in two scenes the universal phantasm of the innocence of childhood. In order to let the audience breathe a little, Kitano brings a little humor in the relations between the old cop and its new partner, a rookie who has chosen to learn the job by following him.

Takeshi Kitano has without a doubt a style of his own and the final duel involving all the characters still alive is a piece of anthology that stands masterfully the comparison with the final à la John Woo or à la Quentin Tarantino that have invaded our screens from the beginning of the 90's on.

A DVD zone Dirty Harry.

Action Speaks Louder than Words
Violent Cop is a definite Five Star Rating all around. Takeshi Kitano is one of the greatest directors to come out of Japan since Akira Kurosawa. This film draws heavily on the types of psychological crime dramas that we tend to associate with France. Like many of his other films, the dialog is very minimal creating an intense dark mood which is constantly built upon. The characters body language and actions give way to an emotionally complex story and make us undeniably attached to these rich characters. Fans of The Sopranos, and early John Woo action flicks will definitely enjoy; but Kitano is in his own league, with an ability to cross over many genres and appeal to more than just your average action fan. This is a great starting point to your "Beat" Takeshi Kitano collection, which only gets better as you watch and collect his other works.

Quiet (When the Guns Are Silent) Brilliance
Takeshi Kitano plays Azuma, a cop dirtier than Harry ("Dirty Harry") as he's decided that the world truly has descended into anarchy -- an anarchy the results of law or its lack of true enforcement. Taking justice into his own hands (literally), Azuma achieves results but (inevitably) not without a cost of his own.

VIOLENT COP is a picture of quiet brilliance, and the intelligence is found largely in moments of silence -- Azuma walking down the street, Azuma staring emotionlessly at a criminal before administering his own form of punishment, Azuma walking several paces ahead or behind of whomever he's with. Once the weapons are drawn, even these moments are captured with tremendous subtlety but plenty of blood.

The film cleverly gives Azuma an adversary -- a tight-lipped assassin -- who is as violent as he is, and, once the killer offs one of Azuma's oldest colleagues, a clashing of polar opposites is inevitable ... and well worth the 103 minute wait.

WOW
The title hit it on the head. Beat Takeshi was perfect. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

The sound of silence
The only Kitanmo film I had watched before this one was the film _Kikujiro_ which i had enjoyed immensely. This film, however, was quite different than that film. The film stars Shigeru who is trapped in a world of silence and who spends his days working as a garbage collecter. One day he happens across a broken surf board and decidees to fix it. Joining him is his little girlfriend who is also a death/mute. Although neither character never utters a single sound their affection for each other is immense by the small things that they do for each other on screen. This is an amazing film with very little action and dialogue. the music by Hisaishi is gorgeous. It is a great film showing of the human condition, and it gives a valuable image into the world of the deaf.

A very peaceful sea.
Kitano is a strange director. He knows how to come up with the unexpected and likes to surprise people. Nobody could ever imagine a comedian like him to become an art house director that good. He knows how to touch peoples' feelings with the movies he make.
Shigeru is the main character of the film. He is a young garbage collector who is deaf and mute. One day he finds a broken surf board in the garbage. After watching the surfers he starts to feel an uncontrolable desire for the sea. He takes the board home and fixes it as much as he can. After that point, surfing becomes the main thing in his life.He is ignored and laughed by the young & ignorant local surfers. But he gets all the support he needs by his symphatetic girlfriend who is also deaf and mute.
In this film, kitano tells us about the surf scene in Japan. It is a western import in Japanese society which is favoured by the youth in sea shore parts of the country. Kitano portrays the surf in a pure and realistic way but not without the the poetic and emotional camera work. Maybe waves are the best way to describe the shigeru's inner feelings which shigeru is unable to express to the out side world fully. He seems calm and relaxed on the outside but inside, a big fire burns for surfing and freedom.
Shigeru is a good example of the people around us whom we unfortunately pay no attention. With the cold inner world of ever growing individulity , disabled are mostly forgotten. Shigeru's story is a good example of If given a chance they too can also come up with extraordinary results in life.It is expressed brilliantly when Shigeru misses to perform in one championship due to his unability to hear the announce. Local instructor asks the rest of the group that why they did not warn Shigeru.
Personally , I believe that this film is among Kitano's finest.
It is also a very unusual Kitano movie because there is no sign of yakuza. It is a very emotional as well as a bit sad film like the rest of his filmography. Kitano does nt like happy or common endings so he surprises the viewer by letting their characters flow out of certain rules of a common scenario.
Beach and surf shots, shigeru's innocent, heartwarming and sometimes funny relationship with his girlfriend are all good tastes.Camera is the typical Kitano camera which loves nature and hates speeches.
Fans of the Yakuza films of Kitano may be bored with this film. But with its emotional and soulful flow, viewer will be sooner or later touched by it.Kitano knows exactly how to interact with the viewer's feelings. After all, hearts have no east and west but they all do have cores.

THE YOUNG MAN AND THE SEA
Third movie of japanese writer-director Takeshi Kitano, A SCENE AT THE SEA, directed in 1992, is a superb surprise for the curious movie lover. If you are tired of today movie production, so superficial and stupid, try this movie for a change.

I love Kitano's unique cinematographical world and the themes treated in his movies. The japanese director is interested in the problems of communication between human beings, his characters live in their own peculiar worlds without feeling the need to share their experiences with others. Hence, the long silences ot the sudden aggressivity of the characters that characterize the movies of the director.

In A SCENE AT THE SEA, the main characters happen to be two young hearing-impaired. Shigeru, a young employee of the local sanitation service, finds a surfboard in a garbage can and suddenly feels the urge to master this watersport. He will spend the whole summer improving his skill at the city beach. We will observe how this passion will affect those who surrounder the young couple.

I've also appreciated very much the sense of humor of takeshi Kitano who always presents in his movies three or four scenes worthy to be compared to the best Chaplin or Keaton afforts. Incredibly subtle and amazing. Enjoy also the great musical scoreof A SCENE AT THE BEACH.

Just a scene access and english subtitles with this Image DVD release. Not even the minimum. Average sound and image quality.

A DVD zone Tommy.

Kitano's most subtle work
While I would actually put this film toward the bottom of Kitano's body of work, the subject matter of the film is unique and engaging. This movie requires an extreme amount of attention and concentration, or certain facts will be missed by the viewer.

The story unfolds around the main character (who is deaf) as he develops an obsessive love for surfing. He pushes himself to develop his skills even in the face of adversity. The underlying intuition would be that he felt his life had no meaning, a sort of "life crisis" (although I just read that into the film), and that he needs to prove to himself that he is able to meet this challenge that he has set for himself. And while he suceeds in many ways, his life begins to falter as he loses his way.

This movie is a strong contrast to his other films, while there is certainly a lot of introspective and personal turmoil in this film, the subject matter is non-violent and has a lot of trademark misplaced comedy. Many people that I talk to describe this film as 'awkward', but it is awkward for a reason.

The score by Hisaishi adds a lot to this film.

Kitano's use of montage is somewhat confusing and certain scenes seem rather cornball, but overall its a good movie if you're willing to pay close attention. And as with most Kitano movies, the ending could have taken place four to five times before you actually reach it.

a meditative and personal vision from takeshi kitano
Ok, things you should know:

The edition I received from Japan last year was not subtitled, but as the story revolves around a deaf mute, the language barrier isnt much of an issue.

Its the story of a young man, clearly doomed to something of a limited existence as a deaf and mute garbage man, who finds a surf board and simply decides pretty much right then and there to learn how to surf, with a degree of compulsion and commitment that could be considered detrimental, or at the very least anti social.

And yet, his love of surfing is so pure, and so honest, that those around him, even those who deride him at first are eventually won over.

This is a extraordinarily well shot movie, and the nature of his relationships with those around him is enticing and complex despite the near total absense of dialog.

It is when he is enveloped wholly in his passion that he develops true friendships, and the sacrifices that he makes for his passion clearly are justified by not only his own obvious sense of fulfillment, but the way he affects those who come to know him. It is as if his freshly discovered love of surfing imbues his youthful innocence with vitality and perminance, so much so that it is almost impossible for anyone to find fault in his nature, as if he is like a still lake that reflects the best in the onlooker only, magnifying their own patience and passion and vitality and good nature.

(It is noteworthy that the concept of a man of exeptionally good nature providing those around him with epiphanies regarding their own nature through his presense alone is not an uncommon theme among Japanese movies, myths, and even religion.)

All in all, a lovely and touching film, refreshingly berift of the classic Hollywood formulaic morality that condemns so many otherwise outstanding efforts to the obscurest tombs of indipendant film history.

Its one of those films that is so unique and personal in its treatment that it defies conventional criticism to a certain extent, and ultimately becomes something of a meditative experience more than a straight narrative film... but then again, who could expect less from Takeshi Kitano? ... Read more