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Outrage (2010) directed by Takeshi Kitano
I've been a fan of this guys film since the 1990s. He has the ability to come up with vastly different types of films but here with Outrage he takes us back to his first successful films which were yakuza stories. Outrage is more like Boiling Point or Violent Cop in it's relentless violence with none of the little touches of humour or humanity that lie in Sonatine or Hana Bi.
Takeshi Kitano directs, writes and takes the role of Otomo an under boss who is given the job of getting another family back into line after they've been dabbling in drug dealing against the Chairmans wishes.
This is the straightforward and usual story of yakuza families vying for territory under the leadership of one 'Chairman' , a little like the Mafia and their families. The film has the usual yakuza themes of betrayal, dirty double dealing and honour and disgrace. There's no surprises here in the plot, but there are very inventive and gruesome ways of making people talk or of putting people to death besides just gunning them down. Several of which I had to look away they're so graphic. I couldn't even begin to tell you about this one...
This is par for the course tho if you have seen any of his films before
Whenever there's a scene with a table you know someone's going to be saying goodbye to their little finger!
Kitano himself is such a charismatic figure visually. Whenever he's onscreen usually with a sardonic smile, your eyes are drawn to his expressions rather than the damage the guns are doing. There's plenty of nice visuals - scenes of lines of sleek black cars rolling sedately through tree lined roads and static shots of the sea (a constant theme in his films). Also plenty of things that make you feel at home in yakuza films - loads of men standing around in snappy dark suits, the women who are ornamental only, the trainee yakuza in white trackies, the seemingly benevolent Chairman relaxing with his minions surrounding him, the lack of empathy, the sudden bursts of men shouting at the top of their voices - you like all those things you'll enjoy this film.
As Otomo says "one of us must survive to see who will win"
An excellent film of the genre, but you have the feeling Kitano could make one of these in his sleep it's so slick.
3.75/5
I've been a fan of this guys film since the 1990s. He has the ability to come up with vastly different types of films but here with Outrage he takes us back to his first successful films which were yakuza stories. Outrage is more like Boiling Point or Violent Cop in it's relentless violence with none of the little touches of humour or humanity that lie in Sonatine or Hana Bi.
Takeshi Kitano directs, writes and takes the role of Otomo an under boss who is given the job of getting another family back into line after they've been dabbling in drug dealing against the Chairmans wishes.
This is the straightforward and usual story of yakuza families vying for territory under the leadership of one 'Chairman' , a little like the Mafia and their families. The film has the usual yakuza themes of betrayal, dirty double dealing and honour and disgrace. There's no surprises here in the plot, but there are very inventive and gruesome ways of making people talk or of putting people to death besides just gunning them down. Several of which I had to look away they're so graphic. I couldn't even begin to tell you about this one...
This is par for the course tho if you have seen any of his films before
Whenever there's a scene with a table you know someone's going to be saying goodbye to their little finger!
Kitano himself is such a charismatic figure visually. Whenever he's onscreen usually with a sardonic smile, your eyes are drawn to his expressions rather than the damage the guns are doing. There's plenty of nice visuals - scenes of lines of sleek black cars rolling sedately through tree lined roads and static shots of the sea (a constant theme in his films). Also plenty of things that make you feel at home in yakuza films - loads of men standing around in snappy dark suits, the women who are ornamental only, the trainee yakuza in white trackies, the seemingly benevolent Chairman relaxing with his minions surrounding him, the lack of empathy, the sudden bursts of men shouting at the top of their voices - you like all those things you'll enjoy this film.
As Otomo says "one of us must survive to see who will win"
An excellent film of the genre, but you have the feeling Kitano could make one of these in his sleep it's so slick.
3.75/5