Japanese actor/director Takeshi Kitano's films tend to be an acquired taste. Part of the problem with this, his latest, is that it stars Kitano himself, as an ex-cop trying to simultaneously settle a debt with Yakuza thugs and act as a good Samaritan toward his ailing wife and wounded ex-partner (for whose injury he feels responsible). A huge star in his native country, Kitano tends to favor the Impassive Mask school of acting pioneered by Clint Eastwood in Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns of the 1960s; this technique is effective if all you're doing is slinging a gun and chewing on a cheroot, but somewhat inadequate for a movie as ambitious and formally complex as this one. More disconcerting, and a common factor in all of Kitano's work, is the wildly varying tone, which in this case veers drastically from brutal to tender and back again, repeatedly. One critic enthusiastically described the film as "Ozu meets Don Siegel"; trouble is, I don't really think that Ozu's Late Spring would be improved by the addition of a scene in which someone's eye is impaled by a pair of chopsticks. Optional. (M. D'Angelo)[Blu-ray/DVD Review—Oct. 3, 2017—Film Movement, 103 min., in Japanese w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $29.95, Blu-ray: $39.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and debut on Blu-ray, 1997's Hana-Bi features a fine transfer and a stereo soundtrack on the Blu-ray release. Extras include audio commentary by Rolling Stone film writer David Fear, a “making-of” featurette (28 min.), and an essay by filmmaker Jasper Sharp. Bottom line: Kitano's violent crime drama shines on Blu-ray.]
Hana-Bi (Fireworks)
(New Yorker, 103 min., in Japanese w/English subtitles, not rated, avail. Jan. 19) Vol. 14, Issue 1
Hana-Bi (Fireworks)
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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