Hey Folks, Harry here.... I fear that Moriarty and John Robie have been buried beneath a snowdrift in Sundance. It has been two days since I last heard from them, but when last I heard, Moriarty was chasing Robie through an icy maze with a Fire Axe... I felt Robie calling to me for help, but I've seen that movie and know what happens if I come to the rescue... He's doomed. Meanwhile, you wonderful readers in Park City are keeping pace, though I'd love even more reports.... This time up we have a look at Kitano Takeshi's BROTHER... one of the films I'm dying to see. But haven't had an opportunity to yet. Hopefully soon though. Here ya go....
Hey Harry, I just stepped out of Kitano Takeshi's "Brother" tonight at the Egyptian Theatre, and thought I'd drop you a quick review.
All I can say is, if you're a fan of Kitano's films, it does not disappoint. I left the theater feeling as empty as I've ever anticipated. The blunt violence, the mysterious nature of the ever so ‘mute' kitano, the brief comedy sequences (which were funny as hell by the way), the character development, it's all there. Although, the film as a whole did not go beyond the psychological depth of 'Fireworks' (Hanabi) - a man dealing with violence in his environment while taking care of his dear wife dying of cancer - that film was genius. 'Brother' is a lot simpler - a restless yakuza outlaw flees from Japan to avoid being killed, and tries to start his yakuza 'family' in America.
What I thought most interesting is that the film never explains anything. The entire movie is full of silent bits and pieces, scenes of Kitano's face without emotion, a silent (yet violent) study of the human interaction within the world of gangsters, that make the viewer almost ‘guess' what's going on in their minds. You never understand why Kitano's character is doing what he is doing. This whole mysterious nature makes the film that much more entertaining. It's as if Kitano is making the viewer quietly study in his own mind the nature of the yakuza, this whole sick world of the mafia, throughout the entire film. Another aspect is that Kitano did not emphasize the relationship with his blood brother (played by Claude Maki), he focused more on the brotherhood of his ‘family' within the gangster world - mainly Omar Epps. He broke the cliche of racial prejudice, and made the first movie ever which united the Asians and the Blacks as closely knit as any true brothers would feel for one another - a true bond which could be created even within the ever so cruel world of the mafia. It was so intriguing to hear Epps constantly utter the Japanese word ‘aniki' (brother), a word only used for close relationships in Japanese culture.
There is one scene in the film, in which a person kills himself, which was by far one of the most intense scenes I've seen in a film in a long time. The film takes a drastic turn at that point, and Kitano's ‘family' quickly sees itself to an immediate destruction. Cruelty will be an understatement.
One downfall however, is the lousy English spoken by the Japanese characters, mainly Claude Maki, and Masaya Kato. There were so many scenes that were slightly ruined due to the lack of intensity in the lines they uttered throughout the film. They were kickass actors in Japanese, but once they started speaking in English, all of the sudden they became those actors on the WB. They do such a wonderful job in their native tongue, very intense, I just wished they could have eminated the same effect in English. Kind of disappointed. The film could have done a better job also with the subtitles - you just don't get the same feeling when they're delivering such killer lines in Japanese, yet the subtitles read, "Fuck you, you bastard!"
Overall it was excellent. I'd definitely watch it again, and again, and again. But still, Hanabi rates the top of my list.
That's it Harry, don't freeze your ass off out there and enjoy the rest of Sundance!
(Code name:)
"Kucharelli"
