Sonatine (1993)

Can't be 'Beat'en


I cannot speak highly enough about the talents of Takeshi Kitano. He has consistently delivered some of my favorite films over the past fifteen years or so. I think what I love most about Kitano is his understanding of his medium. Like Kurosawa before him he allows his characters to develop throughout the film allowing you to become close to the characters and to understand them as people. There is no ambiguity here.

Sonatine is a story of a tired yakuza (played by Kitano himself) who is sent by his boss to Okinawa to settle a dispute between two warring factions. He is not happy about going and is suspicious about the assignment but goes none-the-less. After a couple of days in Okinanwa it is still unclear why he is there and he loses some of his men. He retreats to a house on a beach to reflect and as the film progresses it becomes clear why he is there. As he loses more of his men and the realization of the set-up becomes clear he seeks his revenge.

There are many aspects to Sonatine which are expected from Kitano's style of filmmaking and his script writing. His scenes are beautifully set-up with wonderful wide angles allowing for action to take place without moving the camera. The shots are akin to beautiful moving paintings. His dialogue is short and fills only a small percentage of the film but is poignant and well thought out. There is a lot of humor in his films and Sonatine is no exception with some lovely rib tickling scenes although the overall feel of Sonatine is quite dark.

If you are not familiar with Kitano's movies you may like to know that this is no Hollywood directing style. Do not expect 90mins of rip roaring action but do expect to be blown away by this unique actor/director. His films are always thought provoking, clever and beautiful. He is a master of his art.