Violent Cop (1989)Kitano took over directorial duties on Violent Cop after being hired to play the lead role of Detective Azuma. He then proceeded to re-write most of the screenplay, taking away much of the dialogue and making the whole film tighter and funnier. It is essentially a genre film and it follows the rules of that genre very well. In line with films such as Dirty Harry (Siegel, 1971), we know that Azuma is a cop who prefers to use his own judgement and violent techniques to make witnesses talk, is mistrustful of his superiors, will eventually be fired from the force and will then begin a one-man crusade that results in a final bloody showdown with the even-more-violent bad guy. To top all of this off, we also get the rookie officer Kikuchi (Makoto Ashikawa), who spends most of the film under Azuma's wing learning the ropes, and a corrupt businessman, Nito (Ittoku Kishibe), behind the crime pretending to run a legitimate operation. And the police force is also involved; we learn that Azuma's partner Iwaki (Shigeru Hiraizumi) has been dealing drugs seized in raids. So why doesn't it feel like a genre movie?That question is answered more fully in Blood, Guns and Baseball, but suffice to say I believe it is due to a combination of Kitano's shooting and editing techniques and the sheer inventiveness and originality on display (for example, the way he shoots the first police chase as if it was a baseball run). Violent Cop is a definite 'must-see' if you're at all interested in contemporary Japanese cinema. As a genre movie, it provides us with an entertaining entrance into Kitano's world, setting us up for the explorations to come. |
Kitano Takeshi No EigaFilms directed by Takeshi Kitano'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. Gangster Murakawa is suspicious when his superiors send him to intervene in a gang war. 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. |
|||
| Back to the index | ||
