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I doubt one in a hundred people in the Western world would know who Takeshi Kitano is, yet in Japan he's a megastar in every aspect of the entertainment industry. In the US and UK he's a respected film director and actor who often plays gangsters or cops in generally violent, serious dramas. In Japan though, you're just as likely to catch him on a slapstick TV sitcom or clowning around on the bizarre game show Takeshi's Castle. It's probably just as well we in the West don't see this side of Kitano because I don't think Japanese comedy travels too well. The films he's made are not without humour though - far from it. One of the most enjoyable aspects of his films are the moments of humour in the most desparate of situations, and these happen all the time in Takeshi Kitano films. |
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Boiling Point |
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Brother |
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Hana-Bi |
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Kikujiro |
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Sonatine |
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Takeshis' |
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Violent Cop |
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Zatoichi |
| Kitano's stab at the Blind Swordsman story. Kitano himself, sporting a bleached white head of hair, plays the title role with a nice sense of the absurd. The action scenes are short and sweet, with lots of cgi blood-spurts and flying limbs, and there's a nice sense of humour running throughout the film, with villagers having the odd accident with those big unweildy swords, and the occasional maniac hurtling through the frame screaming at the top of his lungs for no apparent reason. However, this all pales when compared to the Brazilian Riverdance all the villagers break into at the end of the film, which just tops the whole thing off on a truly bizarre note. A hugely enjoyable chunk of fun. |
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