Bruceva

Dolls is indeed one of the most moving films i've ever seen. Although I have to admit that it might be boring for those who expect a 'Kitanolike' shortdisplayed-pokerfaced-violence peace for it is not. It is the first time Kitano is not shown as an actor but still it is as if he himself guides the protagonists through the movie. It is astonishing how powerful every single picture in this movie is. Reality and fiction merge into one another and so do the characters in it. Dolls contains basically three different storylines which merely touch, nevertheless, all three of them follow the same themes. Above all it is love which pushes every acting person; choice however is the tricky momentum in the film. Every character has his/her life with its own background. At one point in their lives something changes as it is due to an attempt of suicide or an car accident. No matter if being involved directly or indirectly, the characters happen to find themselves at a point where they have to choose. Three storylines, three pairs of people and always one of the two decides to choose love. Kitano shows impressively how strong the bond between two human beings can be. This bond is visually shown by an actual rope between the two main characters. However, as the title Dolls anticipates, the story follows the guide given in form of a traditional dollsplay in the beginning. In my opinion it is as if every character is just a doll driven by his/her emotion and that choice might be an illusion in the end. Takeshi Kitanos Dolls can be interpreted in many different ways but no matter which interpretation everyone for himself finds, it is still a moving experience to watch the movie.

I watched Gonin about 3 times by now and still I have to say that it is a great movie even if evaluated under different perspectives. Each character is a profound mixture of different shapes. Out of a certain kind of despair every person in the movie develops its unique behaviour which is a result of their lifes they were living. Gonin includes many interesting themes such as homosexuality, childhood, fear and last but not least what life can make out of every person when it crushes upon you. Lately it appeared to me as if the modern hero has to be an introvert ruthless killer without emotion and basically I have to say that those tendencies are found in Gonin as well - Although it is rather an antihero who is presented in Gonin by the actor Takeshi Kitano in the role of the killer taken into service by the Yakuza-boss. The most remarkable scene as far as I'm concerned is the one where the story of the weird man, having lost his job, comes back home after they had stolen the money from the Yakuza. Gonin is a movie with great suspense and, if watched carefully, with profound and emotional content.

I will not get into depth of this movie in my little comment: Not mentioning the similarity of Hero to Tiger And Dragon I must say that Hero appears to make much more sense within. The storyline, even if it's basically copied from Rashomon, could be descriped as flawless and kind of round. No questions no misunderstandings came into my mind after having watched it.