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It cost $20 million to make, took $50 million in its first 12 days on domestic release, eventually grossed $157 million, and, in doing so, overtook E.T. to set an all-time Japanese box office record. It stars the vocal talents of a superb ensemble cast (see above). Its English dub was written by cult comic scribe, Neil Gaiman. And it's been described as one of the best animated films ever. Hell, Disney were so impressed, they bought the entire output of the studio that made it, Studio Ghibli, for worldwide distribution. And, chances are, you've never even heard of it.

Stuck in an international limbo since its Japanese release in 1997— a year which, on the strength of this, Takeshi Kitano's Hana Bi and Shohei Imamura's Unagi, was later dubbed The Year Of The Japanese Film Phoenix' — Princess Mononoke finally arrives on these shores minus a theatrical release and with rather less of a bang.

Years before he was hooked up to The Matrix, Keanu Reeves starred in another pioneering cyberpunk thriller, and next month, you'll be able to stream it for free. Based on a story by William Gibson, whose seminal cyberpunk novel Neuromanceris about to get a long-awaited adaptation of its own on Apple TV+, Johnny Mnemonic will be available to stream on the free, ad-supported platform Pluto starting on August 1.

Johnny Mnemonic is set in the same fictional universe as Neuromancer, and shares a character, the cyborg "razorgirl" Molly Millions; in the adaptation, her cybernetic abilities have been toned down, and she's referred to only as "Molly." It was directed by video artist and music video director Robert Longo; it remains, to date, his only feature film. Gibson adapted his own 1981 short story; Johnny Mnemonic was the first of Gibson's works to be adapted for the screen. After numerous stops and starts,...

Exclusive:Cologne-based distributor-producer Rapid Eye Movies (Rem) is expanding its operations with the launching of an in-house world sales arm under the banner of Rapid Eye Movies International Distribution.

The initial line-up includes the maverick Filipino filmmaker Khavn’s latest project Rizal’s Makamisa: Phantasm of Revenge, a hand-coloured 35mm silent film about his country’s fragmented colonial history at the turn of the 20th century, and 93-year-old German director Alexander Kluge’s latest two films made entirely using AI, Cosmic Miniatures and Primitive Diversity, which premiered in Rotterdam in 2024 and 2025 respectively.

In addition, the new venture will be handling a...

In Japanese cinema, which has never shied away from the extreme but rather embraced the grotesque, both in terms of violence and sexuality, it is inevitable that a multitude of shocking scenes would emerge, or at least did exist before the era of political correctness. Add to that a sense of peculiar humor, extreme techniques used to depict horrific moments with stark realism, broken taboos, and a total disregard for political correctness, and you have the foundation of this list.

Naturally, narrowing the countless shocking scenes in Japanese cinema down to just 15 is no easy task. However, with a focus on diversity, here are some of the most unforgettable and jarring examples. Some of the scenes described were difficult to find so I opted for something similar instead, from the same movie.

15. The first sex scene in Caterpillar

Lieutenant Kurokawa returns home from the war a celebrated hero but also...

As we approach 2025’s halfway point it’s time to take a temperature of the finest cinema thus far: we’ve rounded up our favorites from the first six months of this year, some of which have flown under the radar. Kindly note that this is based solely on U.S. theatrical and digital releases from 2025.

Check out our picks below, as organized alphabetically, followed by honorable mentions.

Afternoons of Solitude (Albert Serra)

Albert Serra’s new film Afternoons of Solitude is more akin to two hours of Sky Sports than you’d expect from the guy who once made Story of My Death. Following the rules, if not the spirit, of ever-festival-fashionable observational and direct cinema, we spend most of its runtime in long takes observing Spanish bullfighting rings, our eyes focused on Andrés Roca Rey, a Peruvian “exemplar” of the sport engaged in utmost, ritualized savagery. We’re...

There’s a deep melancholy emanating from “The Last Blossom,” Baku Kinoshita’s anime feature, playing in competition at this year’s Annecy Animation Festival.

Kinoshita’s directorial debut tells the story of Minoru Akutsu, a former yakuza dying in a solitary prison cell after a life sentence. His only company is a potted balsam flower. The filmmaker puts a whimsical twist on a rather dark tale by having that flower converse with Akutsu, who tells it the story of his life before imprisonment. The flower is animated with expressivity and liveliness, speaking to Akutsu and questioning why he didn’t take certain paths, as if his own conscience were talking back to him.

Variety spoke to Kinoshita about the adjustments of making a first feature following the film’s screening at the festival.

When “Odd Taxi” came out, many people compared it to Martin Scorsese’s work. I wondered...

Exclusive: With businesses spanning across broadcasting, real estate, the space industry and consulting, Japanese investor Yoshihiro Shimamura has expanded his portfolio over the last few years to include international film production.

He is also a major shareholder in two Japanese television businesses — TV Tokyo and Asahi Broadcasting Group Holdings — as well as in internet advertising company CyberAgent and music data firm Oricon. Having invested in around 10 films, with the aim to release one to two a year, he has invested a total of approximately 200M yen ($1.39M) in feature projects. Though you may not know much about him yet, he’s quietly become a key player in Japanese entertainment.

Shimamura — who previously went by just the mononym ‘Yoshi’ in production credits — sat down with Deadline for his first interview with an international publication, for a wide-ranging discussion about how he chooses which films to invest in and how he has...

Theater has a long history within Japanese culture. Kabuki, bunraku, no and kyogen are different kinds of Japanese theater deeply rooted within Japanese society and performances are a highlight, also for many tourists visiting the country. Consequently, many theater troupes also have a long history as they are a tightly-knit group who also lives together and raises the next generation of performers among themselves. Director Mohamed Ghanem, who has worked as an actor in film and theater, was fascinated by the dynamics of this troupes and their dedication to their craft, which laid the foundation for his documentary “Floating Weed”.

Floating Weed is screening at Nippon Connection

However, Ghanem’s documentary concentrates on one of the stars of Japanese theater. Known for his many performances in onnagata and taishu engeki, Daigoro Tachibana also acted in Takeshi Kitano‘s “Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman” (2003), playing the role of Osei. His participation resulted...

Arguably the worst film in competition in Cannes this year is a strong candidate for the festival’s Best Director prize, and rightfully so. The follow-up to 2018’s Un Certain Regard entry Long Day’s Journey into Night — which asked viewers to don 3D glasses for its spectacular climax, an unbroken, hourlong tracking shot — Resurrection is both breathtaking at times and airless at others. During the first press show the aisles of the screening room resembled scenes from Otto Preminger’s Exodus, and it was hard to tell how many of those who stayed in their seats were even conscious of that fact. It will have its admirers, for sure, and at least 40 minutes of it are pure visual genius, but it’s hard to imagine a more willfully obscure movie that’s been shown here since Wong Kar-wai’s 2046.

Bi Gan is certainly a stylist, and the film luxuriates in that,...

Exclusive: Hidetoshi Nishijima, one of Japan’s top stars over the past decade, has inked with Artist International Group for management.

Nishijima broke out internationally with his lead role of theater director Yusuke Kafuku in Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Cannes-premiering Japanese drama Drive My Car, which was nominated for four Academy Awards, walking away with the Oscar for Best International Feature. The actor’s work in the film earned him the National Society of Film Critics’ 2022 Best Actor prize, among other accolades.

Most recently, Nishijima signed on to star alongside Austin Butler, Jeremy Allen White and Anna Sawai in A24’s crime thriller Enemies, from writer-director Henry Dunham, which shoots in Chicago this summer. Last summer, he was seen starring alongside Rashida Jones in Sunny, Apple TV+’s half-hour dark comedy series from A24. He can also be seen starring in Takeshi Kitano’s Cannes-premiering historical epic, Kubi, as well as Tetsuya Mariko’s upcoming drama,...

In the shadows of Tokyo’s relentless redevelopment, rising filmmaker Yuiga Danzuka found both the canvas and the subject for his Cannes Directors’ Fortnight selection “Brand New Landscape.” The debut feature transforms the Japanese capital’s architectural flux into a metaphor for a family navigating grief and disconnection. The film is subsequently playing at the Shanghai International Film Festival.

“As someone born and raised in Tokyo, I’ve long felt a complex, hard-to-articulate emotion toward the city’s rapid transformation,” Danzuka says. “When my cultural discomfort with urban life overlapped with deeply personal feelings about my own family, I instinctively felt that this was a story that needed to be made into a film.”

The film follows two siblings grappling with their mother’s absence and the return of their estranged father, a renowned architect, against the backdrop of Tokyo’s ever-changing skyline.

Danzuka, who studied under filmmaker Kunitoshi Manda...

Exclusive: Shōgun Emmy winner Anna Sawai and Drive My Car star Hidetoshi Nishijima are set to join the cast of the A24 crime pic Enemies, starring Austin Butler and Jeremy Allen White. Henry Dunham is writing and directing.

Cameras roll this summer in Chicago on the reported $25M production, in which a relentless detective and an infamous contract killer collide in a deadly game of cat and mouse.

Ari Aster and Lars Knudsen of Square Peg are producing alongside A24. Alejandro De Leon also will produce. Josh Bachove executive produces.

Sawai took the town by storm last year following her star turn in Shōgun, winning a history-making Emmy, a SAG Award and a Golden Globe for her performance as Lady Mariko in the FX drama series.

Sawai is currently in production on (Saint) Peter, a coming-of-age dramedy executive produced by Peter Farrelly, and recently wrapped production on the second season...

The episode of What Happened to This covering Johnny Mnemonic was Written and Edited by Jaime Vasquez, Narrated by Tyler Nichols, Produced by Andrew Hatfield and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.

The story of Johnny Mnemonic was one of the early standards of cyberpunk literature. And coming off the explosive success of Speed, Keanu Reeves took on the title role opposite Action icon Dolph Lundgren. The supporting cast was a solidly talented ensemble that included Ice-t, Henry Rollins, and a laser whip that cut right through characters, bones and all. So, how could this promising film adaptation die a death so pitiful that even Casper the friendly ghost would spit on its grave? How did too many cooks turn what was meant to be an arty tech noir film into an overcooked, underwhelming mess? And how did it lead to studios greenlighting The Matrix? I need to unload all this data,...

The Annecy International Animation Film Festival, the world’s most important week in global animatioon, returns to the French Alps this June 9-15, hosting visionary directors, groundbreaking films and a burgeoning number of established and emerging studios and voices from around the world.

This year’s edition is one of the most ambitious yet, marked by a rich blend of themes, powerful political storytelling and a notable emphasis on independent animation. As fest art director Marcel Jean notes, “The quality of independent animation has increased in a most spectacular way,” which is evident across this year’s programming, particularly in the Official Competition and Contrechamp Feature categories.

Below, the 10 features selected in both the Official and Contrechamp sections and a quote from Jean explaining why they were picked, followed by several highlights from today’s announcements. The festival’s popular Work in Progress lineup was unveiled earlier this month.

2025 Feature...

Considering Japan’s fascination with photo books, it is no surprise that the concept of photography has become the basis for local movies a number of times, with titles like “Woman of the Photographs” and “Arakimentari” being among the first that come to mind. Mark Gill attempts his hand in the concept through a biopic about Masahisa Fukase, a renowned, as much as self-destructive photographer whose most renowned work is the titular album.

Check also this video

The movie sets the tone from the beginning. An elderly Fukase, in evident decline, is interacting with a huge black raven, who speaks in English for some reason. It turns out that the raven was always beside him, with him talking to it quite frequently, occasionally even in the presence of others, as his father’s words eloquently highlight later on in the movie. His father, Sukaze, is actually the second focal point of his life.

Queer East Festival is back from 23 April to 18 May 2025 for a four-week-long festival of cinema and performing arts across London, showcasing over 100 titles, including features, shorts, documentaries and moving image work that explores the ever-evolving queer landscape across East and Southeast Asia.

The richness of Asian and queer communities forms a vital part of the UK’s identity and over the past six years Queer East has forged a space for bold, alternative and multifaceted expressions of artistic queerness.

Activism, community and the collective memory of queer history take centre stage in this year’s programme: from an avant-garde cult classic shot in Shinjuku in the 1960s, to a verbatim theatre play about queer elders in Singapore; from a heartfelt documentary on lesbian advocacy, to an intimate dance piece about queer belonging, the festival continues its commitment to screening a vital and diverse programme that will get audiences talking.

Opening...

“You just have to fight for yourself; no one’s going to save you. That’s just life, right?”

Generational identity is a sensitive subject. We often feel as if people our age have been put into reductive categories or dismissed and maligned due to the worst tendencies of a fraction of our members. But the one thing on which we all usually agree is that the generation that follows is even worse. Gen Xers spent years mocking Millennial indulgence in participation trophies and avocado toast and we all now unite in shaking our heads over Gen Z culture like voice messages, baggy jeans, and internet speak. It’s always “these kids today” who are ruining our lives and never the problems we’ve created for ourselves.

No film explores generational scapegoating like Kinji Fukasaku’s Battle Royale. With an economy in shambles and teen mischief on the rise, an...

Cinematic Celebration

Legendary Japanese director Takeshi Kitano‘s samurai epic “Kubi” will open the sixth edition of London’s Queer East Festival on April 23 at BFI Southbank. The festival, running through May 18, will showcase over 100 titles exploring LGBTQ+ experiences across East and Southeast Asia.

Highlights include “Rookie,” about a teenager joining an all-girls volleyball team in the Philippines; “Under the Moonlight,” documenting an Islamic boarding school for transgender women in Indonesia; and the 1968 Japanese underground film “Crazy Love,” shot in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district. Also featured is “Bel Ami,” following a middle-aged Chinese man’s decision to come out, and “Some Nights I Feel Like Walking,” which explores desire and belonging through a teenager’s nighttime journey in Manila.

The festival will close with “Edhi Alice,” a South Korean documentary from filmmaker Ilrhan Kim examining the experiences of trans individuals in Seoul.

This year’s program celebrates activism, community, and queer history.

Editor’s Note: This review was published during the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. “Aum: The Cult at the End of the World” opens in theaters March 19, 2025 and launches on PVOD March 28.

It’s easy to understand why true-crime documentaries about cults have become so popular in a streaming age that depends on a constant stream of new (but reliable) content: Every one of these stories is different, and every one of these stories is also the same.

That double reality has seldom been more dramatic than it is in Ben Braun and Chiaki Yanagimoto’s “Aum: The Cult at the End of the World.” An American-Japanese collaboration that refracts the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway through local and global lenses at the same time, this well-sourced look back at the conditions that allowed for such a terrible act of bio-terrorism is flattened into an infinite hall of mirrors that...

Stars: Takeshi Kitano, Tadanobu Asano, Nao Ômor | Written and Directed by Takeshi Kitano

To western audiences, Takeshi Kitano is most likely known for one of two things; his mesmerising presence in Battle Royale, or for hosting the game show Takeshi’s Castle. There is also the chance that some may know him for his supporting role in 2017’s unremarkable Ghost in the Shell… In his native Japan, he is better known as a comedian and TV host, along with being a well-regarded director who was once dubbed as “the true successor” to the legendary Akira Kurosawa.

For his latest film, Broken Rage, Kitano blends together many of these elements for a truly fascinating work. He stars as Mouse, an assassin whose regular routine involves receiving an envelope at his local café. They contain instructions from a mysterious boss for Mouse’s next target, who he executes before moving along in plain sight.

“An Eye for an Eye 2: Blind Vengeance” is, as the title clearly suggests, the sequel to a film from 2022. The Chinese action superstar Xie Miao played “the blind swordsman”, a fighter named Cheng Xiazi who earns his money as a bounty hunter. He meets a young woman named Yan Ni (Gao Weiman), whose entire family has fallen victim to a brutal attack. Cheng is only reluctantly persuaded to help her with her mission, which is of course revenge. The film lasts 77 minutes and is a flagship product of the bustling Chinese streaming service iQIYI. iQIYI, it seems, produces new films and series practically around the clock. These are now also finding fans in the West. As different as the quality of these products might be – the output of iQIYI alone is impressive.

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Renowned Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhang-ke held a masterclass during Fica Vesoul, offering insights into his journey, the evolution of independent cinema in China, and the socio-political role of filmmaking. Known for capturing the realities of contemporary China, Jia spoke candidly about his early influences, creative challenges, and his vision for the future of cinema.

From VHS Tapes to Independent Filmmaking

Jia’s passion for cinema began in his school years, watching films in small VHS cabins outside the official circuit. This early exposure to Hong Kong and Taiwanese cinema, including King Hu, Johnny To, and Ann Hui, shaped his cinematic sensibilities. However, his true awakening came in 1991 when he watched Chen Kaige‘s “Yellow Earth“, a film that revealed to him how cinema could express social reality beyond traditional storytelling.

His first feature, “Xiao Wu”, was made without script approval or official authorization—a defining moment in his commitment to independent filmmaking.

One of the most unique action movies, probably ever, is now available to stream on Prime Video. Helmed by and starring legendary Japanese filmmaker Takeshi Kitano (you’ll no doubt recognize him from his role in 2000’s Battle Royale and for hosting the hit gameshow Takeshi's Castle), Broken Rage was released last year, and follows Kitano as an aging hitman who is offered one last job in exchange for his freedom from a life of violence. While this may not sound all that different from the myriad of other action thrillers, Broken Rage comes with a twist. And what a twist it is.

Directed, written, and led by Takeshi Kitano, Broken Rage tells the same story twice. First, as a brutal and bloody action thriller...and then again as a comedic parody. See, it really is quite the twisted approach to the age-old story of an aged action hero. Broken Rage stars Tadanobu Asano,...

Japanese drama The Longing has secured a sales agent ahead of its world premiere here in Panorama.

Belgium’s Axxon Media has landed sales rights to the social drama, directed and co-written by Toshizo Fujiwara, which will have its first public screening at the Zoo Palast on Wednesday (February 19).

The story centres on a couple who run a restaurant and employ ex-youth offenders to help support their rehabilitation. A young man is hired and becomes infatuated with a fellow former juvenile detainee, gradually losing himself as he grows isolated at the restaurant.

Produced by Toshizo Produce and based on Fujiwara...

The first thing you probably need to do after watching Broken Rage is rush to the internet and explore the legacy of director Takeshi Kitano. Since I wasn’t all that well-versed with Kitano’s work, I dug a little and found out the man used to be a huge deal as a comedian in Japan, and then he went on to make a slew of hardboiled crime movies, all centering on the Yakuza. That does explain Broken Rage, by the way, if you think about it—it is both a Yakuza movie and a deadpan comedy. Of course, what separates this from anything else is the director refusing to follow the typical movie formula of telling the story, act by act. Instead, he has told the same story twice here—both as a comedy and a drama. In fact, the second part is like a spoof of the first.

“Broken Rage” (2025), an action comedy movie by Takeshi Kitano, Aka Beat Takashi, is an exercise in style. It follows the story of an aging contract killer who is offered an ultimatum in exchange for his freedom. The first half of this hour-long film is told in the form of a thriller, while the second half repeats that same story but retells it in the form of an absurdist comedy.

Broken Rage (2025) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis: Broken Rage

The first half of “Broken Rage” (2025) shares the same eponymous title. It follows an aging hitman named Mouse, who enters a cafe, greets the maitre’d, and sits down to have coffee while going through the envelope delivered for him by the mysterious, Mr. M. He takes the envelope to his apartment, walks up the stairs, and then opens the envelope to find the photo of his first target and the location where he would be located.

Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

The Adamant Girl (P. S. Vinothraj)

While rural stories have become a topic du jour across the many industries within Indian cinema, P.S. Vinothraj has carved a unique place for himself with Koozhangal (Pebbles) and his follow-up Kottukkaali (The Adamant Girl). He structurally breaks down family and community dynamics in rural areas with disquieting observation, his camera constantly tracking and intersecting movements of events. There are explosions of dialogue and emotion wrapped around long sequences of contemplation where just a glance can prove revelatory. Both Soori and Anna Ben, two well-established performers in Tamil cinema, are perfect ciphers for gender dynamics at play. Vinothraj refreshingly eludes sermons or obvious pleas, and The Adamant Girl respects its audience enough to let them unpack...

Japanese icon Takeshi Kitano offered a surprisingly candid admission about his Venice Film Festival appearance for “Broken Rage” last year: he barely remembers it, having suffered a concussion en route to the premiere after hitting his head on a motorboat.

“I actually had to go to the doctor, and they looked into my brain waves,” Kitano revealed at a Tokyo press event for the Amazon Original film. “It’s a little bit embarrassing to say that actually. For those people who were involved, they all asked me how Venice was. And I don’t actually really have anything.”

“It’s not painful, but I think when they looked into my brainwaves, it has shown that they did actually have a shock, but it’s already recovered since then, I’ve been told. But I think I might be funnier if it hadn’t been recovered actually, but I think I...

Since the release of the first film in 2012, The Hunger Games franchise has become a pop-culture phenomenon. Taking place in a dystopian future where children are forced to take part in a savage fight to the death, The Hunger Games tapped into our collective fascination with the public's thirst for blood, as in Ancient Rome. Years before The Hunger Games hit theaters, or author Suzanne Collins penned its source material, there was Battle Royale.

Released in 2000 and directed by Kinji Kukasaku, Battle Royale takes place in a dystopian Japan, one in which students are forced to take part in a fight to the death as a means of being kept in line by an authoritative regime. Battle Royale certainly draws comparisons to Lord of the Flies, as young people are forced to tap into their primal mindset in a bloody battle for the survival of the fittest. Operatic in violence and scope,...

Prime Video has announced the lineup of movies and TV shows that will be available on the service in February. The Prime Video February 2025 lineup includes new Amazon original movies, TV shows, and specials.

Members can look forward to 50,000 First Dates: A True Story, Broken Rage, Clean Slate, Contigo en el futuro, Dino Dex Part 2, George Lopez: Muy Católico, House of David, Invincible Season 3, My Fault: London, Reacher Season 3 and Su Majestad.

Prime Video Originals

The Prime Video February 2025 programming includes the following Originals.

Clean Slate (2025 – Streaming February 6)

This heartfelt Norman Lear comedy follows Harry (George Wallace), an old-school car wash owner in Alabama who has a lot of soul-searching to do when the child he thought was a son returns as a proud, trans woman, Desiree (Laverne Cox).

Her homecoming brings together a hilarious cast of friends, coworkers, and love interests, as Desiree and Harry try to get it right the second time around.

Thirty years ago, Keanu Reeves starred in Johnny Mnemonic, a film that began as a low-budget thriller before it was retooled as a would-be blockbuster.

It must take a considerable amount of willpower to go through a horrendous filmmaking experience and then pretend to journalists that everything’s fine. While moments of candour do occur in movie-making, the repercussions are seldom pretty; actor Shia Labeouf burned several bridges when he openly criticised Indiana Jones sequel The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull – in which he starred as Indy’s son – at Cannes in 2010.

Artist and filmmaker Robert Longo was probably wise to keep his own counsel, then, when he began promoting his feature debut Johnny Mnemonic in 1995. What had begun as a small sci-fi indie film had blown up into a would-be summer blockbuster starring Keanu Reeves; originally, Longo wanted to make a subversive cyberpunk thriller inspired by some of his favourite genre films,...

Prime Video has named Keisuke Oishi as country manager for Japan as the streamer “prepares for its next phase of growth in the region”.

Oishi will take up the role today (January 20), moving from his position as director and general manager of Amazon Music Japan. The executive joined Amazon in 2014 after 17 years at Sony Corp, where he rose to senior manager of strategy in the PC business unit. He reports to Gaurav Gandhi, vice president of Prime Video Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa.

Oishi replaces Takashi Kodama, a former Disney Japan executive, who stepped down from Amazon in November...

Prime Video has named Keisuke Oishi as its new country manager for Japan, effective Jan. 20. The veteran Amazon executive, who most recently served as director and general manager of Amazon Music Japan, will report to Gaurav Gandhi, VP of Prime Video Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa. He replaces Kodama Takashi.

Oishi brings a decade of Amazon experience to the role, having joined the company in 2014 after a stint at Sony Corporation. The Hitotsubashi University alum has climbed the ranks at Amazon Japan, holding key positions including head of the software and video game division and director of the entertainment media division, where he oversaw the company’s packaged media business across multiple entertainment verticals.

The appointment comes as the streaming giant continues to gain momentum in the Japanese market, where it has established itself as a go-to destination for local content. Beyond its core SVOD offering, Prime Video Japan...

"If you work with us, we'll let you off the hook." Prime Video in Japan has revealed a trailer for Broken Rage, a unique Takeshi Kitano film ready for release on streaming in the next few months. This initially premiered at the 2024 Venice Film Festival as a special selection following his 3-hour long film Kubi the year before. Broken Rage follows a hitman, Nezumi (played by Beat Talkeshi), fighting for his survival when he’s caught between the police and yakuza. But in the second half, the gritty crime-action thriller takes an unexpected turn, evolving into a self-parodying comedy that retells the same story with a very humorous touch. A two-part film. This first half is a gritty action film in a dark criminal underworld revolving around a hitman and his struggle for survival. Aside from Takeshi Kitano, this also stars Tadanobu Asano and Nao Ômori. I watched this in...

In the dystopian, post-apocalyptic world of Panem, the society that remains is divided into districts. Once a year, tributes who are usually children are selected from each poor, agrarian district to compete in the wealthy, decadent Capitol in a gladiatorial combat spectacular called "The Hunger Games." It's a fight until only one competitor is left alive, and it's broadcast on national TV, making it almost as important for the competitors to be telegenic as it is for them to be deadly.

This is the premise of Suzanne Collins' original trilogy of Hunger Games novels, initially turned into a four-part film series. Jennifer Lawrence became a certified A-lister as protagonist Katniss Everdeen, who volunteers as tribute to save her little sister, and eventually escapes the games to lead a rebellion against the tyrannical President Snow (Donald Sutherland). Collins has since written two prequels, one of which has also become a film.

Prime Video has announced that the Japanese Original film Broken Rage will launch on February 13, exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

Directed, written by, and starring the legendary filmmaker Takeshi Kitano, who continues to receive worldwide acclaim, Broken Rage is based on his concept of exploring “comedy within a violent film.”

This hour-long film is divided into two parts. The first half depicts a hard-boiled crime action where a hitman, caught between the police and the yakuza, struggles to survive. The second half ingeniously retells the same story using self-parody techniques, presenting it in a comedic style.

This work, which director Kitano himself described as an experimental endeavor, was selected for the Out of Competition section at the Venice International Film Festival 2024. It marks the first Japanese film produced for streaming to be officially selected for the prestigious international film festival.

Tadanobu Asano, who starred...

While we still await a U.S. release for Takeshi Kitano’s samurai epic Kubi, his latest film is getting a worldwide release next month. Broken Rage, which premiered at Venice Film Festival last fall, was picked up by Prime Video for a global release, which will now take place on February 13. Ahead of the debut, the new trailer has now arrived.

Here’s the synopsis: “Broken Rage follows a hitman, Nezumi (played by Takeshi Kitano), fighting for his survival when he’s caught between the police and yakuza. But in the second half, the gritty crime-action thriller takes an unexpected turn, evolving into a self-parodying comedy that retells the same story with a captivatingly humorous touch.”

Leonardo Goi said in his Venice review, “Enter Broken Rage. Split into two chapters, the film kicks off as a crime thriller before switching tones altogether and revisiting the first part scene-by-scene in a more delirious light.

Takeshi Kitano’s new film, Broken Rage, will be available on Prime Video on February 13 worldwide. This streaming-only film is the first Japanese movie officially chosen for the Venice Film Festival. It will be shown outside the game at a major event in 2024.

Kitano, a well-known Japanese film director, stars in and directs the movie. Kitano is known for his creative storytelling, and in Broken Rage, he takes a bold approach by mixing two different styles in the story. The first half is a gritty crime thriller about a hitman in a deadly conflict between the cops and the yakuza. The second half reimagines the same story through a comedic lens, using self-parody to shift the film’s tone.

Kitano described his project as an experiment to see if there can be comedy in a violent film.

Tadanobu Asano, who won the Golden Globe for Best Actor, stars in the film.

Asian-American films, at least the ones we have been seeing in Amp, share many similarities. Usually family dramas, even if of different sorts, with bright and polished cinematography, and most of the time, a rather positive message in the end, to the point that many of them look quite similar. As such, it is a joy to deal with a film that strays quite away from this ‘norm’, with director, actor, editor and fight choreographer Leroy Nguyen mentioning Hong Kong action films, particularly the work of Jackie Chan, along with Takashi Miike, Takeshi Kitano and Quentin Tarantino as inspirations for his filmmaking. At the same time, though, the drama is not missing either.

The Brokenhearted review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative

Sonny, a weary small-time hoodlum that has been missing for the past six months, returns to his old neighborhood and stumbles upon a rather dire situation.

Hayao Miyazaki is a celebrated name in the Japanese film industry. To say he is popular would be an understatement, considering his massive impact on artists. His views alone have stirred the pot frequently.

From technology to AI, the Ghibli animator has opened up about his qualms. One of the most notable controversies is his stance on anime and action shows. But there is a director so esteemed that he’d put the Ghibli animator to shame with his stance.

Chihiro in a still from Spirited Away | Credit: Studio Ghibli

Among the likes of Akira Kurosawa, Takeshi Kitano holds a ground-breaking record. But that is not all considering his disdain for the Ghibli Director and anime on the whole.

Interestingly, his beliefs and ideas are resounding about the reality of the Japanese film industry. The auteur, artist, and creators are treated differently as the Director points out.

Legendary Japanese Director...

While the downfall of physical media has been predicted time and time again, 2024 has proved the opposite with many impressive and interesting releases, not juts Asian titles. However, when it comes to Asian cinema many boutique labels especially have given film-lovers the opportunity to (re-)discover many gems of the cinematic landscapes of Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and Thailand to name but a few. The following list may serve as an overview of some of these releases, some of which may stand representative of a whole catalogue from a production company.

Without further ado, let’s delve into the list of the 30 best physical media releases of Asian cinema in 2024, in random order

1. Seven Samurai (BFI)

Akira Kurosawa’s masterpiece certainly needs no introduction and its release on 4k was one of the most anticipated releases for connoisseurs of Asian cinema. While there is also the Criterion edition of the film,...

The success and acclaim garnered by Masashi Kishimoto with Naruto is an unattainable standard for many, and only a few artists from the industry have been able to achieve that. Eiichiro Oda has created a similar, indelible mark with the prominence of One Piece.

Naruto and Sasuke during the End Valley Fight in Naruto manga | Credits: Viz Media

As a result of beginning the serialization around the same time, both these works are constantly pitted against one another. While One Piece has commercially and literally outlasted Naruto, there’s one aspect where Naruto manga reigns supreme and there’s no doubt about it.

Naruto fights are leagues ahead of One Piece

Both Naruto and One Piece are battle shonen series, and fights are an important part of them. Throughout One Piece, Luffy faces many formidable villains who threaten his life. In almost every fight, he gets beaten up badly before...

Japan has a robust and storied history of film, with some of the most influential movies of all time coming from the country. Akira Kurosawa is considered one of the greatest directors of all time, Kurosawa's movies helped pioneer the modern Hollywood blockbuster, with monumental films like Seven Samurai, and Yojimbo, which played a major role in shaping the Hollywood Western, and vice versa. In fact, George Lucas was heavily influenced by Kurosawa's films when making Star Wars, particularly The Hidden Fortress, as they share many similarities.

Japan's cinematic history is incredibly varied, with some of the greatest films fitting into a variety of genres, including samurai stories, family dramas, and horror. Alongside legendary directors, these films also include some of the best acting performances of all time, with some of the best actors in the world. Actors like Hiroyuki Sanada, Setsuko Hara, and Toshirō Mifune have all played significant roles in Japan's film industry,...

There’s a notion in the film industry that comedies don’t travel. Jokes have a regional audience, and humor gets lost in translation, the thinking goes. But director Matthew Rankin thinks more of audiences than that. His new film, “Universal Language,” was selected by Canada as the country’s submission for the Oscars’ international feature category, but you’d be forgiven if you were unable to place it.

Set in an alternate Great White North where Tim Hortons coffee shops are Persian tea houses and the principal language is Farsi, Rankin’s film gently imagines a world without cinematic borders: an absurdist but warm-hearted vision that has disoriented and delighted festival audiences since its premiere in the Director’s Fortnight section at Cannes.

“As much as we don’t think of it as a political film, there is something radical to this gesture,” Rankin says on a Zoom call.

Sony is reportedly in discussions to acquire Kadokawa Corporation, the Japanese media giant behind recent features by Takeshi Kitano and Kiyoshi Kurosawa.

Sources say that if ongoing talks are successful, a deal could be signed within weeks, according to Reuters.

Sony has held a 1.93% stake in Kadokawa since 2021, when the two firms formed a capital alliance alongside digital advertising firm CyberAgent. Sony also owns a stake in FromSoftware, the Kadokawa subsidiary outfit behind hit video games such as Elden Ring.

Kadokawa was founded in 1945 as a publisher and is known in the film business for Kadokawa Daiei Studio, which was...

“Adrift in Tokyo” is the sixth feature by Japanese writer and director Satoshi Miki, whose reputation in his home country is based on his work in television, which is much infused with his particular brand of humor. While his films, unlike the work of colleagues like Takashi Miike or Takeshi Kitano, have largely remained unknown to many Western audiences, thanks to the attentiveness of companies such as the UK-based Third Window Films at least some of them can now be enjoyed in decent DVD releases. One of them is “Adrift in Tokyo”, a feature praised by critics and audiences as it was screened in various international festivals.

Adrift in Tokyo is screening at Five Flavours

Looking at the director, one might be excused to mistake him for one of his protagonists. With his goatee, slacker-like clothes and a floppy heat, Satoshi looks a bit like the Asian version of Johnny Depp...

Legendary Japanese filmmaker Takeshi Kitano had long-balanced comedy and drama in his multifaceted career. Known first as a funnyman television host, he nonetheless directed gripping crime thrillers that found humor even in violence. With Broken Rage, the acclaimed auteur takes his blend of genres to delightful new extremes.

The 2024 film premiered Out of Competition at Venice, telling one story twice. Its first half follows a hitman named Mouse in typical gritty Kitano style. But then, the tone takes an uproarious turn as that same plot replays as over-the-top slapstick. At 77 years old, Kitano proves as spry as ever, gleefully tumbling himself through each familiar scene now warped beyond recognition.

Playing a killer for hire who cracks under police pressure, Kitano finds the comedy in upending our expectations. His script plays with a familiar genre yet retains just enough logic to anchor the absurd flights of fancy. Changing nothing but the tone,...

Dragon Ball Daima's first three episodes have wowed fans and critics alike, with many people praising the series for taking Dragon Ball back to its roots by reintroducing the comedic and fantasy-influenced elements that vanished from the franchise in its later years. It has also shown that taking Goku and his friends out of their comfort zones and dropping them in a new location can have great results. Because of this, if the writers are stuck for ideas after Goku's Demon Realm adventure, they should take inspiration from an overlooked Dragon Ball TV special and send Goku back in time for his next major adventure.

In 1987, the Japanese television network Fuji TV ran a special extended broadcast to celebrate its 30th year on the air. This broadcast did so well that it would become a tradition, with the station producing a new special broadcast each year at around the same time.

Masashi Kishimoto, the genius behind the long-standing legendary anime Naruto, is a true action film nerd himself. His love for films, particularly action ones, has greatly influenced the style of Naruto. Many of his sources come from classic action directors and one such name is Michael Bay. The director is known for his explosive films like Transformers and Bad Boys, and Kishimoto somehow drew inspiration from some techniques Bay uses.

Naruto vs Sasuke in Naruto: Shippuden. [Credit: Studio Pierrot]

Bay’s signature cinematography had intrigued Kishimoto into trying it out for the storytelling aspect of Naruto, but he dubbed it quite challenging to execute. Michael Bay isn’t the only director who influenced Naruto, and you can see how much Kishimoto truly appreciates films.

How Action Movies Have Influenced Naruto Kakashi vs Obito in Naruto: Shippuden. [Credit: Studio Pierrot]

Masashi Kishimoto might have written some of the best and most memorable anime characters in history with Naruto,...

While there’s a few more fall film festivals popping up in the next month, the major ones are behind us, which means we have a strong sense of the films to have on your radar in the coming months and even through 2025. We’ve asked our writers from across the globe to weigh in on their favorite world premieres from Locarno Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, New York Film Festival, and BFI London Film Festival.

Our coverage will continue with a few more reviews this week, and far beyond as we provide updates on the journey of these selections, so continue to explore all of our festival coverage here. In the meantime, check out top picks from our writers below and return soon for our extensive year-end coverage.

Soham Gadre (@SohamGadre)

1. April (Dea Kulumbegashvili)

2 and 3. Youth (Homecoming and Hard Times) (Wang Bing...