DanTheMan 2
From its hypnotic style to its pessimistic plot, Sonatine is a mesmerizing manifestation of Takeshi Kitano's continued revitalisation of the yakuza movie. It is a largely peaceful, contemplative work, punctuated by moments of extreme violence all delivered with purpose balancing the fine line between gorgeously dreamy and grim reality. Kitano's haunting elegy to the gangster way of life, he spends the film exposing the gangster ideal as the myth, of little boys who forget to grow up, doing so with incredible flourishes of style, playfulness and jarring outbursts of his trademark humour. Having only written four scenes, the vast majority of the film was largely spontaneous, often Kitano finding his feet in the moment at hand. Sonatine sees the bleak suicidal tendencies of Kitano's mind coming right to the forefront, especially since he suffered partial facial paralysis after a motorscooter accident not long after this film's release. One he has often mentioned was an unconscious suicide attempt, this alone lends a massive amount of weight to the Russian Roulette sequences, giving Sonatine so much more emotional levity to its already unconventional narrative. With the addition of another stunning musical score by Joe Hisaishi, Sonatine rewards those with patience, offering up plenty of existential dread among its exceptional beauty.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
01/22/24
Full Review
david b
Beat Takeshi's humour is well placed here between the dark and the light and between openness and humanity and the awfulness of the subject matter ie. death. Later in Hana BI he taps into the same sensibilities on occasion but its as a more playful approach here than later in films like Battle Royale where his satire is far more literal and in your face. I feel like Tarantino must have loved this as I see reflections from some of his films that come from this attitude and similar sense of humour. If you've seen quite a few 'by the numbers' films in this genre then this is like a breath of fresh air (and some bullets).
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
03/28/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Haunting off-beat gangster film. Kitano at his absolute best.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
01/31/23
Full Review
sean l
Given the opening chapter's focus on internal Yakuza machinations and street-tough theatrics, it would be easy to reflexively label Sonatine as just another dose of dirty criminal intrigue. But then, when an inauspicious job goes sideways and the little crew of posh mobsters and crass underlings are forced into hiding, it takes a hard left and becomes something entirely different. Whiling the days and weeks away in an abandoned beach house, we explore the duality of these lives and soften their outer veneer.
In that sense, the internet-famous cover photo of writer/star/director Takeshi Kitano grinning broadly while holding a gun to his head is a precise depiction of the film's themes. These gangland thugs might be all business when they're intimidating store owners or trading bullets with a rival gang (nary an eyelash is batted when Kitano and company dunk a victim for too long and accidentally drown him), but on their down time, they need to cut loose, have a few laughs and make human connections, too. The really interesting points are where those two opposite modes meet, a jolting transformation when light amusement slams into stone-serious reality and all the easy smiles melt. There's always a momentary hesitation where we can't be certain which way the scales will tip, and that's dangerously exciting. Those key moments take time to develop, though, which leads the plot to really sag in the middle.
Kitano performs very well as the central figure, a stark dichotomy of incompatible moods, but he can't be on-screen at all times and isn't always surrounded by the best supporting talent. A strong thematic concept, one which evidently developed live in the field as the script was extremely bare bones, but not especially well-executed. Loaded with promising ideas, much of Sonatine's ephemeral potential depends upon what you, the viewer, are willing to bring to the table.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
03/30/23
Full Review
Audience Member
In my Battle Royale review: I stated that one cast member truly stood out as an iconic performer, and to this day, an influential figure in Japanese culture; that of Takeshi Kitano. Sonatine marks as a critical milestone in an already acclaimed body of work for him and, it also changed the way we analysed the crime genre for years to come. Kitano himself had for years tried to break into for lack of a better word, 'dramatic' works within the world of cinema.
His first attempt with this in Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence for director
Nagisa Oshima proved to be a lost cause; having the audience laugh off his part, in recognition of his most famous comedy persona, Beat Takeshi, on the screen. After several outside projects, including creating a video game! Kitano made his directorial debut with the successful Violent Cop. From there he directed, wrote and produced a handful of films that dealt with Japan's criminal underworld as a backdrop for character study arcs.
The story goes that Takeshi Kitano plays an enforcer of the Yakuza, Murakawa, who while caught in a feud between the family triads, grows tired of his crime-riddled existence and wishes to retire indefinitely. After a call for peace goes horribly wrong, he and other Yakuza members are ordered to hide in exile by a beach house until matters can be settled. From there, they play games, they play jokes and ultimately experience what it means to be human before the reality of their predicament hits them like a bullet. And so, Murakawa will have to forge a path that he can choose to follow or go back from.
A plot of this ilk bares comparison to plenty of Hollywood counterparts that have come before and after it. However, since this film creates a mostly fresh and cultural viewpoint of the 'disillusioned crime figure' narrative; the film stands out. Showcasing Kitano as a master of genre storytelling and with visual flair to spare. Kitano, in his ingenious way of constructing narrative and character arc, is to save the audience any clues of where the plot is going. Kitano's character rarely lets the audience in on what he is feeling or what he truly understands about a particular situation - violent or otherwise - throughout the film. Murakawa states to a fellow associate that he wants to leave the world he embodies, but in hindsight, there are plenty of obstacles that prevent him from effectively escaping. And so, has to ultimately decide his own fate that in a way that is intricate and surprisingly unpredictable.
The majority of the beach scene, in particular, is laced with humour, displayed by Kitano that is absurdist but never out of place. Moments such as some of the men involved getting caught in sand traps by Murakawa as pranks are clearly funny and also feel human. Takeshi Kitano or 'Beat' especially comes from a stand-up background. To insert humour into this overall dramatic and sombre piece is refreshing but also demonstrates Kitano's approach to the material as knowing and reflective; balancing his sense of humour and a clear eye for poignant moments amongst his characters. This is a take on the crime genre that I certainly haven't come across before, and such marks him as a unique filmmaker in his own right.
For any Kitano newcomers, this is a great place to start from. Kitano refuses to shy away from violence on screen, but only for the purpose of substance and context than surface and content. This is one film that won't escape my mind, any time soon.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
01/31/23
Full Review
Audience Member
After watching first 20 minutes or so i thought it is going to be a normal gangster movie
but it surprised me
loved it :)
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
02/22/23
Full Review
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