Hana-bi

It was frustrating at first- I couldn't work out what the plot was, wasn't really caring for the characters, and didn't know whether it was in non-chronological order or not. At a point, I unconsciously stopped worrying about those things, and started to enjoy it more. It felt less about having a conventional narrative and more about simply evoking some powerful- yet sorta hard to describe- emotions. The visuals are largely great and go a long way in making the film oddly beautiful and hypnotic, and the musical score is outstanding. I could see myself really liking this on a rewatch at some point, when I know what I'm in for, and therefore aware of the best mood to experience such a film in.

'Hana-bi' is one of the most impressive movies I've seen in the last ten years. Writer/director/star Beat Takeshi (Takeshi Kitano) is best known in Japan as a comedian and TV personality, so this movie is even more astonishing to outsiders like myself. Takeshi has a very laconic and charismatic screen presence, and is no slouch as a director either. It's difficult to describe the feel of this movie, and its poetic use of violence. Peckinpah's brilliant and misunderstood 'Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia' comes to mind, as does Cassavetes' 'The Killing Of A Chinese Bookie', Ferrara's 'King Of New York' and 'Bad Lieutenant'. 'Hana-bi' reminds me of those movies but Takeshi adds his own unique voice to the material. I was knocked out by it, and I cannot recommend it highly enough to movie fans who are fascinated by the relationship between art and violence. I don't think calling this movie a masterpiece is an exaggeration. Absolutely essential viewing!

Takeshi Kitano's "Hana-bi" aka. "Fireworks" of 1997 is sad, funny, violent and melancholic and, alongside his 1989 debut "Violent Cop", my personal choice for his best work. Hardly ever have I seen a movie which is this memorable and unique in both its tragic and its funny moments, as it is the case with this great film.

I am a big fan of director Takeshi Kitano, who also stars in the leading part (as 'Beat' Takeshi) in this, and "Hana-bi" is my personal favorite of his movies.

Yoshitaka Nishi (Kitano) is a mostly calm, but occasionally irascible and ultra-violent cop, whose wife Miyuki (Kayoko Kishimoto) is terminally ill of leukemia. After his partner Horibe (Ren Osugi) is wounded, and another police officer is killed, Nishi decides to quit his job at the police and spend more time with his dying wife. In order to help Horibe, who is now in a wheelchair, and the dead police officer's widow, and in order to make the remaining time as comfortable as possible for his wife, Nishi, who also owes money to the Yakuza, needs money and he is determined to acquire it.

Not only is Kitano a gantastic a writer and director, his acting performance in "Hana-Bi" is also superb. Nobody else could have played the role of Nishi with such brilliance as 'Bito' Takeshi Kitano, who rarely says a word in the first half of the film and is (nevertheless or therefore) absolutely impressive in his role of the cop with the constant poker face, which typical for Kitano. By the way, the impressionist and very original pictures which are shown occasionally throughout the movie were also painted by Kitano himself. The rest of the performances are also very good, Ren Osugi delivers a particularly memorable performance as Horibe, Nishi's partner who is struck by fate and has to live in a wheel chair, and Kayoko Kishimoto is great in the lovable role of Nishi's dying wife.

Fantastic cneimatography and Kitano's typical way of patiently drawing out some scenes while showing abrupt outbursts of violence with stamina that makes them hurt as well as his unique talent for the combination of tragic and comical elements make this one of his greatest achievements. Highly recommended!

Kitano's Hana-bi is something quite special, a film where images of violence and beauty are juxtaposed. The violence is deadly, but certainly not gratuitous or pointless. The beauty is the love story, the happiness between a cop and his wife.

There are 3 main stories in the picture, each one given the time it deserves. The film is beautiful to watch, the camera work is slick and amazing.

The direction is faultless and no frame is wasted. The film's images speak out, they are very powerful. The long silences add so much to the film, the director really knew what he was doing.

The screenplay is almost in the shadow of the awe-inspiring images, but does give the picture a deserving foundation!

The performances are 101% perfect, very authentic!

The film's musical score is beautiful, it feels very isolated from the images which only adds to the raw ambience, it's perfect!

This is a Japanese masterpiece, see it in wide-screen!

Takeshi Kitano, the actor and director of Hana-bi certainly has left an imprint on Asian cinema. Managing to differ between playing brutal, yet sensitive characters to directing films centred on hard-boiled, "cops vs. criminals" plots. Takeshi Kitano remains one of the finest actors in cinema, most film viewers were introduced to his acting after watching Battle Royale, which has had a huge effect of his recognition. He is an actor who can bury himself deep inside a role, becoming a dark, disillusioned character and being cast as characters who are usually coming to terms with the guilt of their past. Well known for his deadpan style he has developed into an icon of modern Asian cinema.

Hana-bi is the haunting, powerful, thoughtful tale of a severe police officer who retires from the force after his wife gets leukaemia and a fellow officer gets paralysed from an accident that he blames himself for. The film follows the tragedy and self-destruction in the man's life who wants to help the people he loves before it is too late. The narrative of Hana-bi is one that moves with a fairly slow grace, perfectly suiting the film's mood and structuring a detailed and enigmatically twisted plot.

Hana-bi is a prime example of minimalist film-making, providing a poetic journey of self-discovery and accepting the effects of anger. Hana-bi is far from an aggressive film, even though the violence is stark, abrupt, restrained, brutal, unflinching and at times strangely beautiful in its film techniques. The literal translation of the title "Hana-bi" translates to fireworks, which is a metaphor for the brief explosion of life we live. The pensive feel is relaxing rather than brooding, flooded by sudden flashbacks of violence, which wonderfully grab the viewer's attention. There is also an element of dark humour paced throughout the film, which makes you laugh, but also makes you ponder the film's deep philosophical, moralistic and nihilistic imagery.

The acting from the entire cast is stunningly provocative and moving, edged with the factor of such a brilliant script, yet it is a film that does not rely on language as a key factor. Few performances have moved me with such provoking and eventually challenging studies of human characteristics, emotion and psychology. The metaphorical, subliminal and emblematic cinematography is marvellous at carefully capturing some of the most unforgettable imagery in cinema. The haunting score is truly remarkable n its aching sophistication and elegance, ultimately helping define a clear atmosphere. It is undoubtedly a pessimistic film on the surface, although still being a film that holds hope under the façade.

Hana-bi is perfect cinema. Few films come quite as close to its breathtaking brilliance and overwhelming nature. Sublime, in every sense of the word, its beauty will knock you right out.