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Violent Cop
1989
In his directorial debut, famed Japanese screen personality Takeshi Kitano (acting under the alias Beat Takeshi) plays Azuma, a brutal but honorable cop at the end of his rope. Azuma's trying daily routine involves dealing with a naive new partner and caring for his drug-dependent, mentally challenged sister. When a friend on .. Read more
| Starring | 'Beat' Takeshi Kitano, Maiko Kawakami, Makoto Ashikawa, Shiro Sano |
|---|---|
| Director | 'Beat' Takeshi Kitano |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Thriller, World Cinema |
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Violent Cop
In his directorial debut, famed Japanese screen personality Takeshi Kitano (acting under the alias Beat Takeshi) plays Azuma, a brutal but honorable cop at the end of his rope. Azuma's trying daily routine involves dealing with a naive new partner and caring for his drug-dependent, mentally challenged sister. When a friend on the police force is killed and his sister is kidnapped by drug dealers, Azuma begins walking a mercilessly vengeful path that leads to a shocking finale.
VIOLENT COP is a stunning first feature from Kitano, who took over for veteran director Kinji Fukasaku after he left the project. Primarily known as a television comedian, Kitano rewrote the script to better suit his surprisingly dark vision of the film, which serves an intriguing introduction to his unique directorial style, combining scenes of extreme violence with beautifully meditative shots. Elevating the then-waning yakuza genre to a more artistic level, Kitano's film is a landmark in late 20th century Japanese cinema.
| Starring | 'Beat' Takeshi Kitano, Maiko Kawakami, Makoto Ashikawa, Shiro Sano, Ittoku Kishibe |
|---|---|
| Director | 'Beat' Takeshi Kitano |
| Studio | MIA VIDEO ENTERTAINMENT LTD |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 38 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Thriller, World Cinema |
| Language | DVD: Japanese |
| Subtitles | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 03 Dec 2001 Production year: 1989 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (3)
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Although he was already a massive star in Japan, this brooding thriller made actor/first-time director Takeshi “Beat” Kitano the hip name to drop in film circles over here. The plot itself could have come from any mainstream blockbuster: a tough, unconventional cop (Kitano) and his new, inexperienced partner find themselves up against their fellow officers when investigating a drugs case. However, the usual Hollywood clichés are turned on their head by Kitano's highly stylised direction, the splashes of quirky black humour and sudden jolts of extreme violence. And, on the screen, Kitano's charismatic performance is riveting.
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"...VIOLENT COP is one of the most striking first features in recent cinema....There are a number of terrific cinematic ideas..."
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Most helpful member's review
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8 out of 9 people found this review helpful
Takeshi's Castle was never like this....
Takeshi 'Beat' Kitano is back, as a mad, angy, maverick cop. Truly menancing throughout, this time Kitano-san plays the other side of the law from his usual Yakuza mobster characters, but is no less shocking and malevolent for it.
A surprising ending. But so good I brought the film! -
Most recent members' review
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Grown
This is the second film I have seen by Mr. Takeshi, and I suggest to all that you see 'Zatoichi'. However, this should have been the first, I bought it on DVD awhile back but promptly took it straight back. I was put off by the bad subtitling. Japanese culture is imperceptible enough without the ‘subtitles’ only covering one side of some conversations and none of many others.
Despite this baffling inadequacy the film manages to convey a convincing story and to portray it's main characters well. I was expecting a very stoic film, from all the accounts I had heard of Mr. Takeshi’s career. I wasn’t mislead. Violent Cop is not the easiest film to identify with nor to understand, in fact on first viewing it may leave you somewhat bemused. But I think it offers a kind of reality to its story that you don’t find in many films and is worth watching and re-watching (just to make sure).
This is a good film that is well worth watching, with an interesting story and unique characters and some questionable motivations, but hey who minds answering the odd question or two? -
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In his directorial debut, famed Japanese screen personality Takeshi Kitano (acting under the alias Beat Takeshi) plays Azuma, a brutal but honorable cop at the end of his rope. Azuma's trying daily ... -