Takeshi Kitano has been a mainstay of the Japanese entertainment industry for more than twenty years. He first entered the world of directing with 1991's Violent Cop, a film that was originally intended to be directed by Yakuza movie legend Kinji Fukasaki. However, Fukusaki became ill whilst filming
and so the helm was passed over to star "Beat" Takeshi. From that day on, Kitano has continued to carve out a niche in world cinema with his original ... ...of violence. This combination reached its cumulative best with 1997\'s classic Hana Bi(Fireworks).
Hana Bi went on to win much critical acclaim, including winning the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival. All of these accolades were richly deserved. Hana Bi is principally the story of an ageing police officer who takes a loan out from Yakuza members to pay for a trip around Japan with his terminally ill
wife. Meanwhile, his partner is ...
NeilG1 19.09.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Hana-Bi (DVD)
Advantages: Possibly best ever Kitano movie Disadvantages: None whatsoever
Films previous to this made by Kitano included Violent Cop, Sonatine, and Boiling Point, and if you've seen those 3, you'll notice the difference here. This film was made after his motorcycle accident which left him with a facial twitch which is evident, but one can see the change in style brought about as a result of it. Takeshi's character, Nishi, is a cop whose wife is terminally ill, and whose daughter died earlier. As he tries to deal with his ... ...partner gets shot and as a result is crippled. Nishi blames himself for this, as he was visiting his wife in hospital at the time that his partner got shot. The full story unfolds in short flashback sequences, and Nishi feels snowballing guilt. To add to his problems, he owes the Yakuza a lot in debt, and has to go about repaying it.
The story is mainly about how Nishi decides to spend time with his wife who hasn't got long left to live, as he contemplates ...
sghosh 04.07.2006 (12.07.2006)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Hana-Bi (DVD)
Advantages: great acting and cinematoraphy Disadvantages: none
...including this one).
Hana-Bi (the word for "fireworks" in Japanese), follows Nishi a tired, world weary cop in debt to the Yakuza. To add to his woes his daughter has recently died and his wife Miyuki, is dying of cancer. Nishi is on a stakeout when he asks his friend and colleague Horibe, if it's ok to visit her in hospital. The stakeout goes horribly wrong and Horibe is shot and paralised. Nishi feels he is responsible and goes on the run with ... ...markings of a typical Takeshi film, with the calm before the storm violence, then calm again. There are moments of real beauty and laugh out loud humour, which add even more weight to the tragic storyline.
Takeshi again shows he is a master of cinematography and mixes very poignant scenes with the violence very well. The acting is fantastic and is real lump in your throat stuff. Add the string laden score top the mix and you have a 10 out of 10 ...
malenkylitso 14.12.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Hana-Bi (DVD)
Winner of the top prize at the prestigious Venice Film Festival in 1997.'Hana-Bi' is a ... more
lyrical tale of guilt,dwath and loyalty from the acclaimed director Takeshi Kitano.One of Japan's biggest stars,Kitano is best known in the UK for his films 'Sonatin...
The ideal starter movie for those who wish to familiarise themselves with the work of the ... more
paradoxical Japanese auteur,Hana-Bi(the word means "fireworks" in Japanese) is anechtexample of "Beat"'s Takeshi Kitano's distinctive brand of existential crime t...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
The ideal starter movie for those who wish to familiarise themselves with the work of the ... more
paradoxical Japanese auteur,Hana-Bi(the word means "fireworks" in Japanese) is anechtexample of "Beat"'s Takeshi Kitano's distinctive brand of existential crime t...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 11to 14 days...
Winner of the top prize at the prestigious Venice Film Festival in 1997 Hana-Bi is a ... more
lyrical tale of guilt death and loyalty from acclaimed director Takeshi Kitano. One of Japan's biggest stars Kitano is best known in the UK for his films Sonatine a...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
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