Directed by-Takeshi Kitano
Starring-Beat Takeshi, Aya Kokumai, Tetsuo Watanabe, Masanobu Katsumura
Sonatine is a beautifully shot tale of a middle-aged Yakuza gangster facing an identity crisis of sorts. Murakawa, played by director Kitano, is a mid-level boss in a Japanese crime syndicate. After years of busting chops and raking in cash he is contemplating retirement: the gangster life is wearing on him and he's made enough money to live comfortably without it. Even as he thinks of moving on, he goes about his business. Casually engaging in violence, his placid demeanor is in place even as, in a memorable scene, he brutalizes a resistant merchant.
Despite his desire to retire, Murawaka is sent to Okinawa to mediate between two rival gangs engaged in a turf war. As soon as he rolls into town his lair is shot up and some of his men are killed. He and his remaining crew hole up in a beach house, passing time in unexpectedly comical ways. Even in play, an undercurrent of violence remains and there are several tense moments and a general air of unease as we wait for something to explode. Of course, the inevitable finally happens and the movie goes out with a bang and then a sad, quiet whisper.
Sonatine is well worth seeing. Kitano's acting and direction is right on and the cinematoraphy is absolutely gorgeous. Unlike many gangster movies chock-full of over-the-top violence, the violence in Sonatine is stylized and muted. The film opens with a close-up shot of fish scales, at first unrecognizable as such. Slowly the camera pans back and we see a speared fish silhouetted against a red sky. Violence out of context has no real significance. But when you focus on the bigger picture, the effects of gangster living are completely unmistakable. -Jenny Stumps |
