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Brother
on DVD (2000)
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| Starring: |
'Beat' Takeshi Kitano, Omar Epps, Tatyana M. Ali, Kuroudo Maki, Masaya Kato, James Shigeta, Susumu Terajima, Ren Osugi |
| Director: |
'Beat' Takeshi Kitano |
| Studio: |
CINEMA CLUB |
| Run time: |
108 mins |
| Certificate: |
 |
| User collections: |
Films I Own, something diferent, World Cinema Introduction., My Asian Journey, Judas' British, American and Asian Thug Most Wanted, The non-formulaic, must-see films that might have passed you by, If i was stuck on a desert island with a DVD player... |
| Genres: |
Thriller |
| Languages: |
English, Japanese |
| Hearing-impaired: |
English |
| Released: |
13/01/2003
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Brief synopsis of Brother
In his first film shot in the United States, Japanese director Takeshi Kitano stars as Aniki, a stoic "yakuza" (the Japanese version of the Mafia) who heads to Los Angeles after his clan loses a mob war. Unable to speak English, he still manages to take control of his little brother's small-time gang of drug dealers and quickly moves them up the criminal ladder by impassively blasting all their higher-ups and imparting an Eastern sense of honor to the new "family." Between the ritual suicides, tortures, self-mutilations, and blood-soaked gun battles, Aniki forms a special bond with black gang member Denny (Omar Epps), who teaches him some English slang in exchange for guidance. As with Kitano's previous films such as FIREWORKS, VIOLENT COP, and SONATINE, an overall sense of Zen stillness contrasts with sudden macho eruptions into violence. The film takes a uniquely Japanese look at the male psyche, which makes it nicely comparable to the works of Takeshi's American counterparts like Peckinpah, Tarantino, and Abel Ferrara. Offbeat and strangely subdued, BROTHER still delivers all the desired gangster goods and should make new Takeshi fans out of anyone who has seen SCARFACE or THE GODFATHER.
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Related
Critics Reviews
Radio Times
Takeshi Kitano's work can't be shown in mainstream cinemas because of the language barrier, yet its offbeat brutality also makes it an unlikely candidate for the art house circuit. So here Kitano attempts to reach a wider audience with this typically deadpan tale of a Yakuza, set — for the first time — in the US. It's essentially a greatest bits movie, enticing the uninitiated while providing knowing winks to aficionados, as Kitano's gangster flees a Tokyo turf war only to precipitate an equally bloody showdown in Los Angeles. Exploring cultural contrasts, the criminal code and notions of brotherhood, this occasionally feels over-customised, but it's still a polished and perceptive film.
Sight and Sound
"...BROTHER boldly juxtaposes images of geographical displacement and transience with underlying themes of cultural permanence and immutability..."
Time Out
Kitano adapts to the demands of 'international' film-making in very characteristic ways: by adopting the uncomplicated...
Read more on www.timeout.com
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