In his directorial debut, famed Japanese 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.

DVD Features:

Violent Cover
Region 0
Keep Case

Takeshi Kitano: Japanese Director/Actor/Screenwriter, FIREWORKS (1997)
Ittoku Kishibe: Japanese Actor
Maiko Kawakami: JAPANESE ACTRESS
Makato Ashikawa: Japanese Actor; VIOLENT COP (1989)

Takeshi Kitano: Japanese Director/Actor/Screenwriter, FIREWORKS (1997)

Takio Yoshida: Japanese Producer
Shozo Ichiyama: producer

Hisashi Nozawa: JAPANESE SCREENWRITER

Daisaku Kume: Composer, VIOLENT COP (2001)

"...Terrifically stylish, bluntly brutal and nihilistic..."
"'Beat' Takeshi Kitano's nihilistic, narc-themed directorial debut..."
"...VIOLENT COP is one of the most striking first features in recent cinema....There are a number of terrific cinematic ideas..."