Sonatine (1993)Sonatine is regarded by many as Kitano's best work, a film that takes gangster movies to another level. Basically, it is the story of Murakawa (played by the director), a high-level Yakuza sent by his superiors to intervene in a gang war in Okinawa. When he gets there, however, he finds more than he bargained for, is double-crossed and is forced to hide out in a shack on the beach before taking his revenge.By taking his stock gangster characters and having them play games at the sea's edge (a very common location in his films), Kitano tells us a lot about them. The fact that they are all stereotypical caricatures reveals them to be more symbolic than individual, and it is significant that their beach games (shooting frisbees, fighting with fireworks and sumo-wrestling) echo the 'real' violence that is such a part of their lives. In this way, Kitano is letting us laugh and relax slightly, but is also reminding us that graphic violence is never far away. Sonatine will come as quite a shock to those unfamiliar with Kitano's work because of its slow pace and unconventional action. However, it is a film worth seeing because of this, and its mix of violence and comedy is refreshing. It is also the first Kitano film I ever saw and is quite readily available in the West. |
Kitano Takeshi No EigaFilms directed by Takeshi KitanoViolent Cop (1989) 'The Japanese Dirty Harry'; a genre tale of a Tokyo cop and his rather violent enforcement techniques. Boiling Point (1990) A baseball-playing youth offends a member of the Yakuza ... and they want revenge. A Scene at the Sea (1991) Accompanied by his girlfriend, a deaf garbage collector learns to surf after finding a broken board.
Getting Any? (1995) A slapstick comedy that satirises Japanese society. Kids Return (1996) After his near-fatal motorcycle accident, Kitano returns with a teenage coming-of-age story. Hana-Bi (aka Fireworks) (1997) Detective Nishi attempts to tie up the loose strands of his life after his partner is paralysed. An immature man takes a young boy to meet his mother. Brother (2000) A Japanese gangster flies to Los Angeles and tries to take over the local underworld. Dolls (2002) Three tragic love stories, based on the themes of traditional Japanese Bunraku doll theatre. Zatoichi (2003) A story about the Japanese folk hero Zatoichi, a blind swordsman. |
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