In his first film shot in the US, 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.
Theatrical Release: JULY 20, 2001 (LA/NY)
DVD Features:
Region 1
Keep Case
Widescreen - 1.85
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
Dolby Digital 2.0 - English
Interactive Features:
Interactive Menus
Scene Selection
Director of Photography
Katsumi Yanagishima: Director of Photography
Review 1:
"...[Kitano] returns to more familiar form with a vengeance..."
Source: Premiere
p.90 05/01/2001
Review 2:
"...BROTHER boldly juxtaposes images of geographical displacement and transience with underlying themes of cultural permanence and immutability..."
Source: Sight and Sound
p.40-1 04/01/2001
Review 3:
"...Tense, edgy and compulsively unpredictable....This is Kitano's GODFATHER..."
Source: Total Film
p.96 04/01/2001
Review 4:
"...The supporting, mostly Japanese cast is effective, particularly Kato..."
Source: Hollywood Reporter
p.24-98 10/03/2000
Review 5:
"...Mr. Kitano's scenes with Mr. Epps have an intriguing give-and-take..."
Source: New York Times
p.E18 07/20/2001
Review 6:
"...What's fascinating about Kitano is the way he pounces. He specializes in moments of action almost too fast to see..."
Source: Chicago Sun-Times
p.30 07/27/2001
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