View Larger Image |
Kikujiro Director: Takeshi Kitano Number of Items: 1 Picture Format: Letterbox Format: Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) Running Time: 116 minutes Studio: Columbia/Tristar Studios Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Region Code: 1 Product Group: DVD Release Date: 2000-12-12 Buy from Amazon |
 "A fun film, but too long at some points"Summary: In this delighful film Masao, a gloomy, lonely elementary school student decides to travel south to find his mother who abandoned him with his grandmother several years ago. Unfortunately for our young hero he has little money and his destination is quite a ways off. However, luckily, or maybe unluckily, for, he encounters two of his grandmother's ormer neighbors: a tough talking woman and a former yakuza, played by Kitano Takeshi. The woman feeling sorry for the young boy, has her husband escourt the young boy to his mother's home, giving her husband 50,000 yen for travel expenses. Unfourtunately, instead of using the money to make a quick trip to their destination, the former yakuza gambles the money away at a bicycle race. This episode begins a sequence of events that results in the unlikely duo meeting vast variety of individuals, including two not so tough bikers, a traveling musician, a juggling girl and her boyfriend, a scary man, and many many others. Review: If you are expecting the same Kitano Takeshi in this film as he appearx in _Fireworks_ or _Violent Cop_ prepare to be surprised. Kitano's character in this film, although he can be quite rude and crass, is really a sweet guy at heart, and it shows through out the film in the compassion and concern he shows for Masao. However, this compassion can be a bit too saccharine at times, such as when Kitano's character, the musician, and the two bikers, camp out and play with Masao. There are some funny scenes here, but it makes you feel like you are going to become a sugar cube at any moment. Also, there are also a couple of disturbing scenes in this movie such as when Masao meets the scary man who promises to take him to his mother. I won't say why, but guard yourself when you see the bald man. Overall this is a good film that seems to drag at points, but makes up for it with a few very funny sequences.  "Simply Brilliant..."...cinema. Words at first fail me when I try to describe the wonder that is this film. Even if you are one who has a hard time reading the text in a subtitled film you will probably enjoy it. That is one of the beauties of this film; it goes well beyond the boundaries of the culture and language that are contained within. It's a movie that touches the heart primarily through its imagery. I found myself at times not even reading the subtitles because I inherently knew what was happening on the screen. The actors don't just act, when Masao (the young boy featured on the cover) is sad you are sad. A heartless human is one who doesn't come away affected in some way by this brilliant work. "The gloomy boy and the ex-thug"Takeshi "Beat" Kitano got his start as a comedian in Japan, before his movie transformation into the familiar deadeyed killer. "Kikujiro" shows that he has not forgotten his roots. Here, the two Takeshi's blend in the character of an ex-Yakuza, who may not have a heart of gold, but at least bronze. Together with the gloomiest boy in Japan, they head off in a traditional road movie full of bumbles and discoveries. "Kikujiro" is an incredibly sweet and of-kilter film. Quirky, subtly humorous, at times intense and disturbing, at times charming and disarming, Takeshi guides the film across the winding course of its plot, encountering a host of equally odd characters and situations. A woman juggler and her boyfriend the human robot, the fat and skinny bikers and the hippy thief all join in the journey with our odd couple. With each additional cast member, the story takes another unexpected twist. While a comedy, don't expect any gut-busting laughs. The humor is more bizarre and situational, the laughs are more smirks and good feelings. The pace is slow and patient, taking a long time to build the story and the characters. The images are beautiful, and the director takes some chances with his camera work that all work out well. "Kikujiro" is daring in its own way, while remaining heartwarming and affectionate. An excellent, highly recommended film. "the best feel good movie i have seen!"this is one of the finest works of takeshi kitano! it has the elements of drama, comedy and almost everything a viewer would like to see in a movie! it will surely make you cry because of the funny scenes and because of the heart warming moments of the film! it really is a must see "So Amazingly Unique..."Kikujiro is a the kind of film that you wouldn't expect to see coming from a man who did Violent Cop, Sonatine, and Hana-Bi (Fireworks) It's because of this point that the movie is so extremely refreshing. The story may not be the most original, but the execution of it all gives it life. A combination of the sentimentality of Hana-Bi (Fireworks) and the just-plain-weird humor of Sonatine is the best way to describe this comedy-drama. Just like in his previous films, Kikujiro has an undertone of sadness throughout the entire movie, even during the funniest scenes. That brings me to another high-point of the movie: Beat Takeshi. This was only the second Kitano film I've seen after the U.S. cut of Brother. After watching the characters he played in both movies, it was hard to realize that they were being played by the same person. His humor and wit are so genuine, and the fact that he doesn't rely on cheap tactics to get laughs like U.S. humor gives this movie one more star itself. If you want a movie so original in execution and is genuine in almost every sense, then you MUST pick up Kikujiro. It's appeal is international. |
