Hana-Bi (1997)

Directed by Takeshi Kitano. Starring Beat Takeshi, Ren Osugi, Kayoko Kishimoto, Susumu Terajima, Tetsu Watanabe, Taro Itsumi. [R]

Unusual but compelling drama put its director/writer/star/co-editor at the forefront of Japanese filmmakers, winning the Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion. Minimalist plot describes the reactions of detective Yoshitaka (played by Beat Takeshi, the stage name of director Kitano) in the fallout of a shooting that killed one fellow officer and paralyzed another (Osugi), taking up criminal activities and borrowing money from the yakuza to help his sick wife (Kishimoto), wheelchair-bound Osugi, and the widow of the slain officer. More tone poem than narrative, filled with surreal art (painted in real life by Kitano) and desolate poignancy, very little dialogue, interrupted now and then by explosions of bloody violence. The sum exceeds the parts, but Kitano’s stone-face prickles with so much expressiveness that interest never flags. Though not a direct translation, it was titled Fireworks for its US release.

74/100