Brother (2000)

Director:

Takeshi Kitano

Writer:

Takeshi Kitano (written by)

Release Date:

24 November 2000 (Italy)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

The one guy you trust to get your back when a whole city's trying to put a bullet in it.

Plot:

A Japanese Yakuza gangster is exiled to the United States. Takeshi settles in Los Angeles where his younger...

Plot Keywords:

Gangster | Yakuza | USA | Bellhop | California

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Takeshi Kitano	...	Aniki Yamamoto (as 'Beat' Takeshi)
Omar Epps	...	Denny
Kurôdo Maki	...	Ken (as Claude Maki)
Masaya Katô	...	Shirase
Susumu Terajima	...	Kato
Royale Watkins	...	Jay
Lombardo Boyar	...	Mo
Ren Ôsugi	...	Harada
Ryo Ishibashi	...	Ishihara
James Shigeta	...	Sugimoto
Tatyana Ali	...	Latifa
Makoto Ôtake	...	Chief of Police
Kôen Okumura	...	Hanaoka
Naomasa Musaka	...	Hisamatsu
Rino Katase	...	Night Club Madame

Also Known As:

Adelfos ex aimatos (Greece) [el]
Aniki, mon frère (France) [fr]
Brother (Spain) [es]
Brother (Italy) [it]
Brother (Finland) (video title) [fi]
El capo (Mexico) [es]
Fratele (Romania) [ro]
Hermano (Argentina) [es]
Irmão (Portugal) [pt]
Jakuza (Serbia) [sr]
Veli (Finland) (TV title) [fi]

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive strong violence, language and brief nudity.

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA | UK | Japan

Language:

English | Japanese | Italian | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | France:-16 | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Portugal:M/16 | Italy:T | Argentina:16 | Australia:R | Finland:K-18 | Germany:18 | Hong Kong:III | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 | USA:R (cut) | Singapore:M18 (DVD rating) | Singapore:R(A)

Filming Locations:

Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Bandai Visual Company

Trivia:

Heavily cut for violence by the MPAA to obtain an 'R' Rating in the United States.

Goofs:

Continuity: Ken takes the photo of the potential blackmail victim with his right hand while his left hand is on the table. In the close-up he's holding it with both hands, and then he returns the picture with his right hand while his left hand is on the table again.

Quotes:

Ken: [to Denny] He says, if you kill him with one shot, he'll give you ten bucks.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)

Soundtrack:

Casta Diva che inargenti

Be Prepared

Beat Takeshi is a filmmaker so distinct and so completely different from any other filmmaker that you have to be prepared before seeing one of his films to watch something differently than you normally would. Brother is his first overseas production, and to this day his only one, and perhaps its minimal success and marginal fan base is due to its seeming lack of plot, its evasive editing, or something else that Takeshi customarily draws attention to, whether purposefully or not.

Brother is not quite his best film, but Brother is a fantastic film nonetheless. If you are one of those patient, insightful filmgoers, you will realize that the focus is not on the story but on the themes of its story. Completely unlike its characters, especially Takeshi's stone cold killer, its story is something to feel your way through. These characters do not feel much. They do and think. It's the audience's job to feel. The movie is mostly made up of deadpan scenes of bloody violence, occasional dialogue, and quiet medium closeups. The music, which like in all Takeshi films is lush and emotional, directs our feelings.

Brother is great for fans of crime movies, gangsters, violence overall, Asian cinema, and even action fans, but Takeshi Kitano's style is a strangely deadpan and very personal approach. It's an acquired taste.