Jugatsu

Boiling Point (1990) is about a goofy guy who works at a convince store and plays sandlot baseball in his spare time. His head is always in the clouds. One day he insults a high ranking Yakuza member while at work. Then that's when all of his troubles begin. An interesting film by Kitano. This is his second directorial project (after taking over the directorial reigns for an ailing director in Violent Cop). Even though he's prominently featured in the film's trailer, Kitano is only in the film for several scenes (but his part is very memorable). Don't be fooled by the trailer. This is not a hardcore Yakuza film. It's about a young guy who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He should've "stayed in bed" that day. Poor kid. Recommended.

A.

I watched this three times before I wrote my review as I didn't know what to make of it but I absolutely loved it.

It is a bizarre story that has some great moments of humour. It feels like the most Beat Takeshi film of all his films as it features some ideas that later become tropes in his later films such as baseball, the yakuza getting really upset over petty misdemeanors, sudden bursts of violence and loud brash characters facing instant karma for their obnoxiousness.

I don't know why but in many ways it reminds me of a Richard Linklater film with it's long take static shots and the loose style and openess of it's narrative.

Also the troubled youth tranferring to adulthood, guided by a very flawed adult has a very distinct parrallel to Linklater as well.

Well it's not a good film to watch on Sunday with your family. It's not a good movie if you're looking for some action. It's not a good movie if you're looking for philosophical dialogs.

But it's a great movie if' you're a Kitano fan. It's a great movie if you're interested in Japanese culture. It's a great movie if you like to sit back for a while and think deeper about what you're watching - it seems that throughout the film there's not much going on - the main character remains mute for most of the time, there is no music soundtrack in the background, the plot itself is not a straightforward one - you'll get the point right only after the last scene.

In some moments "Jugatsu" seems to be telling a simple and seemingly a little boring story - but a second after it blows in your face with aggression so intense that you start to think were it came from. It is not about blowing guts out or shooting people in the head. It's deeper.

What "Jugatsu" is about ? It's about revenge, loyalty, love and violence.

Elements of it reminded me of David Lynch but much more comic. Also a quite casually paced film with Kitanos trademark bursts of random violence

A lot of the comments have been about the film's relationship to the nature of violence, and it's true that it is a violent film. However, that's not the point of the movie. The film starts showing a young man sitting in the dark. He comes out into the light and walks slowly to where the action is taking place. He is dull, uninvolved, uninterested in what's going on. In the beginning, events happen to him. It is only after he is attacked by a hoodlum that he begins to take action himself. He volunteers for the mission to buy a gun and while on that expedition he is exposed to a wide variety of experiences that force him to become a more active personality. After his return he shows himself to be a take charge guy. The symbolism of the butterfly eggs is one of metamorphosis. The title "Boiling Point" has a meaning of change, the point at which water turns to steam. Finally, the last scene is of him in the same darkness as he was at the beginning, but this time when he emerges his movements are quick and jaunty. He is a different man.