Sonatine
Sonatine - 1993 Rated R
Reviewed by dvil6173
Written by, Directed by and Starring - Takeshi 'Beat' Kitano
I think that this film deserves a review for two reasons -
1 - Today's Tarantino-fuelled audience might want to check out an interesting take on the well-travelled 'Gangster Movie' path.
2 - It is probably my favourite film of the past 10 years.
Takeshi Kitano is a Japanese Writer/Director/Actor whose previous work includes Violent Cop, Boiling Point and A Scene at the Sea. If you stumble across him expecting to find John Woo style 'Hong Kong' action movies then disappointment awaits, Takeshi deals with similar subject matter to Woo but in an altogether more realistic style.
Sonatine revolves around Murakawa (Takeshi himself), a Japanese Yakuza (gangster) who has been set-up by a rival gang and is forced to take his cohorts to a deserted seaside retreat, until the dust settles. This gang of "hard men" has to adjust to a totally different pace of life and to interact with each other on a human level, which is completely at odds with their psyche. We see them playfully setting traps on the beach, sumo wrestling and taking pot shots at each other with fireworks (ok, I never said that gangsters at play would turn into altar boys). Everything seems good, too good to last.
Fortunately the gang is stopped from turning into an all-male Japanese version of the Brady Bunch by the introduction of a rival hitman and Sonatine takes a sharp turn back to reality - the gang's reality. Murakawa becomes an unlikely action hero. Gunfights are conducted with little of the overblown choreography of Hollywood - Murakawa standing motionless emptying his gun, seemingly oblivious to his own well being. A snippet of dialogue from the movie explains why:
"It's great to not be afraid of shooting people-not being afraid of killing people means not being afraid of dying yourself, right? You're a tough guy, I like tough guys."
Murakawa responds: "I wouldn't carry a gun if I were tough."
"But you can shoot fast."
"I shoot fast because I get scared first."
"But you're not afraid of dying."
"When you're scared all of the time, you almost wish you were dead."
Would Schwarzenegger ever come out with a statement like that?
Sonatine impresses me. The whole ensemble is solid and believable in its acting and direction is well done. However, it's the overall feel of the film that keeps me coming back for repeated viewings. In the city these Yakuza are ruthless and humourless, but it's their job. In the countryside they revert to an almost child-like innocence, something that they have probably never experienced. A Zen-like tranquillity enfuses the gang making the incidences of violence somehow more "real" and shocking.
Now for the annoying part: I searched for almost two years for a DVD copy of Sonatine. My old VHS had been watched so often that the beach scenes were beginning to resemble out-takes from Scott of the Antarctic. The UK release that I eventually found contains few to no extras.
If you can manage to find it, Sonatine captures the human condition in a totally beguiling and unorthodox way. I heartily recommend it.
