Violent Cop (Subtitled) (Wide Screen) (DVD)

...think of.

VIOLENT COP was his very first film.

This release was a bit of a shock for Japan. Previous to Violent Cop, Kitano had been a huge stand-up comedy star. It looked as if he had given up comedy altogether with this film: a dark and hyper-violent tale of a lone cop against a bunch of merciless yakuzas. He would however return to comedy in between films, as well as various other talk-shows and popular Japanese TV. ...
...as well as directing them. Violent Cop is no exception; the director plays the part of Azuma, a solitary and slighly crazed police inspector. He roams about the police headquarters, miserable and unmoved, very much as he does through the labyrinth of Tokyo's skyscrapers.

When a tramp is beaten-up by a gang of vicious youths, he calmy waits in the shadows without intervening. He then trails one of the teenagers back to his mother's ... more

(no lifting, similarities are coincidental - past experience in reviewing)

Takeshi Kitano is one of the most influencial directors from Japan, alongside Shohei Imamura, Akira Kurosawa, Seijun Suzuki, Kinji Fukasaku, Shinya Tsukamoto, Takashi Miike, Nagisa Oshima and at least a dozen others I can think of.

VIOLENT COP was his very first film.

This release was a bit of a shock for Japan. Previous to Violent Cop, Kitano had been a huge stand-up comedy star. It looked as if he had given up comedy altogether with this film: a dark and hyper-violent tale of a lone cop against a bunch of merciless yakuzas. He would however return to comedy in between films, as well as various other talk-shows and popular Japanese TV. Comical and slapstickish elements would also find their way into most of his films anyway.

For those familiar with Kitano's work, you should know that this is his bleakest and darkest film. It does have moments of humour here and there, but is mostly downbeat and cold. Boiling Point (1990), released a year later, would feature colourful sea-side settings and heaps of slapstick comedy alongside somewhat brutal murders and gang warfare. The same would apply to Sonatine (1993) and Hana-Bi (1998), generally more upbeat in tone.

Kitano often plays the key role in his films as well as directing them. Violent Cop is no exception; the director plays the part of Azuma, a solitary and slighly crazed police inspector. He roams about the police headquarters, miserable and unmoved, very much as he does through the labyrinth of Tokyo's skyscrapers.

When a tramp is beaten-up by a gang of vicious youths, he calmy waits in the shadows without intervening. He then trails one of the teenagers back to his mother's house and proceeds to slap him around and headbutt him violently. You could draw parallels with Dirty Harry here, but Azuma is far more sociopathic in his behavior.
His sister is mentally handicaped, and he takes her out from time to time to enjoy festivals and sea-side walks; this provides us with the very few moments of happiness and zen-like calm in the life of Azuma, as well as what could be considered the only redeeming side of his personality.

The comedic elements come in the shape of a young police trainee, asigned to the same case as Azuma, who gasps in sheer horror at Azuma's policing methods; these include running a criminal over with a car (twice), ignoring the complaints of his superiors, gambling his money away and even torturing a suspect criminal in a locker room.

This already slippery character snaps completely when his only friend is found hanging from a bridge and his sister is kidnapped and raped by the yakuza.

Violent Cop isn't just about shooting, swearing and bloodstained walls. It is a deeply entrancing and meditative piece of work by a master-director.

Although Tokyo is one of the safest places in the world right now, Kitano vision is one of darkened streets with glittering knifes, crowded streets that become a battlefield between cops and mobsters at any given time of the day. In fact, this is very realistic. If we look back at the early days of post-war Japan, yakuza were everywhere. This would lead many fights to the streets, in full view of mainstream Japanese society. Fast foward many decades later, and the Japanese economical meltdown would bring much opportunity for the yakuzas, leading to the semi-legitimization of organised crime, police corruption and the seizing of big corporations behind which the criminally-minded could hide. Based on this, I would say that the film takes place shorly after or during the economy bubble-burst. The film's vocabulary and overall look certainly reflect this idea in any case.

As for the actual violence itself, it is rather harsh at times. It is important to note that most of the shootings, stabbings and other such instances are done very tastefully. I mean by this that there is very little stylization or glorification of these acts; they are shown for what they really are. I do not have a problem with glorified violence...but such a trend would be completely innapropriate for this particular film. If you are in for fun and gore, then look elsewhere.

There are some extremely solid performances in this film; Kitano had already delivered a beautiful performance in Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (Nagisa Oshima, 1983). Ittoku Kishibe, Maiko Kawakami and Shiro Sano (fantastic actors) really help to give the film a sharp and sometimes frightening edge.

The most fascinating character in this film has to be Kiyohiro (I am not familiar with the actor but he does play similar roles in other Kitano films and also appeared in Takashi Miike's Agitator). We are talking about a sadistic but honor-bound yakuza henchman. He does most of his "work" without the shadow of a smile, word, or even concern for his own life. It seems as if the character is a thousands miles from reality, doped out of his mind, yet lucid enough to handle himself in front of his superiors and society.

In one scene, Kiyohiro is insulted when asked if he could possibily cut a higher deal for a young drug dealer. He says nothing, his eyes devoid of any emotion, and gently passes the sachet full of dope over to the dealer. Even before the poor victim has drawn the slighest gram, Kiyohiro is already stabbing him repeatedly in the stomach.

Yes...these are the kind of frightening characters Azuma is having to deal with.

So what makes Violent Cop superior or different from other hard-boiled thrillers?
The cinematography is part of the answer of course; most of the film is made up with still frames. It helps create a sense of calm and placidity, punctuated from time to time with humour. The world that Kitano has created with his still images and contemplative Kubrick-like shots is purposely destroyed through the contrast of rapid and uncontrollable violence. These type of ideas are brilliantly explored and are trademarks of Kitano's filmaking.

Kitano himself has a kind of inspiring presence on-screen, even when he is portraying dislikable characters. He spends the entire film wearing the same expression: the look of someone who doesn't have much to care for in this world. But Takeshi Kitano has one of those amazingly charismatic faces that can convey billions of emotions depending on the context rather than the acting. A bit like Bill Murray in a way. His presence is as important as the cinematography here.

Violent Cop is a film for film-lovers, not for pop-corn munchers. I think this review has made that point rather clear.
If you are familiar with Kitano's work, then seek this out immediately.
If you are ready for a darkly violent but intelligent piece of yakuza film, then this might be the one for you.
People who appreciated Scorsese's Taxi Driver might want to check this out too.

I personally highly recommend this superb masterpiece, as well as 3 other films from Kitano in the same vein: Boiling Point (1990), Sonatine (1993) and Hana-BI (1998).

(no lifting, similarities are coincidental - past experience in reviewing) 

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