Outrage

A very well-executed movie in terms of directing and acting, and it's a decent watch for anyone who enjoys a good mafia movie, or a yakuza movie as the case may be. However, there is nothing new on display. It blends in with the masses and masses of movies in its genre.

Throughout the entire movie, I kept feeling a sense of lack. This lack was a lack of sympathy you feel for these characters, and the lack of understanding for the system on display. You don't understand what's going on until about an hour into the movie, and by then it's a little too late to care. There's a little too much shooting first, and too few questions asked. I believe Kitano really tried to write a movie that could stand among classics like Scarface and the Godfather in terms of epics, but fell short.

However, I would say the movie is worth a watch, if only to see what the movie could've been.

Before watching the movie, because of lack of research, I thought it will be an action movie. This movie is goes through the politics inside the yakuza gangs in Japan. As a first part of trilogy, the movie discusses the story of several Yakuza groups in Japan, the politics and rivalry and mob wars between them in a raw and extremely harsh way. Movie had a detailed and slow narration in order to portray the brutality and unpredictability between them. Both as a director and an actor, Takeshi Kitano gave his best as a raw and rough character throughout the movie, extremely unpredictable along with other characters as the story goes on. He tried to utilize the technical side of the movie to accompany its slow and raw narrative. Brilliantly good movie, extremely a worth watch if you like to watch a gangster movie which portrayed in a realistic nature.

Viewed at the Festival du Film, Cannes 2010

Takeshi Kitano's return to his familiar stamping ground, the Yakuza, their intrigues, vendettas and highly inventive ways of inflicting extreme unpleasantness on one another, was given less than a stellar welcome by critics at the Festival. A common refrain was that there was nothing new on offer here, no new insights, just a retread of the familiar. Well, they are right, but is that really such a bad thing?

I say no, not when we get tough guys, sharp suits, black humour, extreme violence (you might never want to visit the dentist again), a convoluted plot that is hard to follow but has something to do with rivalry, inheriting the reins of power and inflicting extreme violence on the other team. Oh yes, there's also betrayal and extreme violence.

Outrage is old-school Takeshi Kitano, a (for me) welcome return to his glory days, not that he ever left them behind (I've time for all his films, if not his gameshows). If you like the man, as actor or director, then you won't be disappointed by this film, just as long as you are not expecting something new and different, that is.

What comes to your mind when one mentions "Yakuza"? Is it something bleak and dark? That's apparently what's delivered through this Takeshi Kitano film.

Typically, the topic of yakuza is often shunned. If ever confronted, it is often used to accentuate comedic elements, whilst leaving the truth of the yakuza world unchallenged. However, director/screenwriter/actor Takeshi Kitano goes against the flow and makes a comeback with this feature film after almost a decade long hiatus. Though this is not as well received as compared to other made in Japan films, it has still received much acclamation. Earlier in his directing career, he was already known for "Violent Cop" and "Sonatine", which also dealt with the dark world of yakuza. It is therefore admirable for his efforts to bring forth the most truthful reflection of the dark side of Japan despite the risk of low commercial success. And for this film, he has once again managed to project a somewhat accurate image of the realities in the yakuza scene.

The overarching plot of the film works with the conflicts that could possibly exist in any relationships – malice and greed. It circles the power struggle between the Iketomo-gumi and its affliation Murase-gumi and his sworn brother Otomo (Takeshi Kitano) who has his own crew as well. While Otomo tries to break free from the subordination of the Murase-gumi, they too try to acquire greater power. In this power struggle, they begin to plot against one another and result in sheer violence and torture. In this aspect, Takeshi is quite creative and playful as he invents numerous ways that the characters get tortured or die. As revealed in one of his interviews, he actually came up with these before he wrote the narrative that parallels with the violence. The convincing gore and never-imagined ways to kill and torture; for this you really have to watch it for yourself.

Takeshi has carefully chosen who to cast for this film. He made a point not to repeat any actors who worked with him in his previous yakuza related works. The cast is pretty commendable for they capture the essence of the characters they are portraying, and even are said to get through each scene with only one or two shots. One of the more outstanding actors is undeniably Ryo Kase, who sports fluent English as opposed to the Japrish/Engrish we often associate Japanese with. That being said, the English dialogues between him and the gaijin (foreigner) were rather blunt and funny. This is probably intentionally designed to poke fun and entertain the viewers.

In the technical aspect, Takeshi displays much competence in his camera- work. From wide-angled shots, to close-ups, to long pans and even point- of-view shots; he utilized a variety of these shots to effectively communicate the non-verbal messages. Put simply, you will find it easier to 'get into the mood' as he engages the viewers very much. Also, hallmark of his films is the seemingly abrupt cuts that often do not signal direct causality in the sequences. As the idiom goes, "one man's meat is another man's poison". You will either hate this style or love this style. Though it can get confusing at times, the overarching plot sets a frame for which the sequences happen. Therefore in its fairly organized manner, it sparks brilliance in its narrative.

Overall the film though unconventional, is a careful examination of the selfish desires that deteriorates relationships. Fitted into the yakuza context, this message has an added punch. On a random note, do look forward to the unanticipated twist towards the end!

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First of all if you're gonna complain about too much violence in a gangster movie. Go watch something like " Sesame street ". This movie has top class acting from almost everybody. Story is excellent and really shows how the big yakuza bosses play mind games all along. My favourite scene of the movie is in that noodle shop where a random customer will find something floating in his bowl of noodles =). If u wanna see a really cool and awesome yakuza movie, this should be it. I can not wait for the second part of this movie. It's suppose to come out anytime in 2012. I am a huge huge fan of the movie " Brother " and another epic Japanese yakuza movie called " Agitator ". If you liked those movies, you will simply love this movie too. give it a shot. 2 thumbs up