Own the rights?
21 out of 23 people found the following comment useful :- Brilliant gangster picture sliced to ribbons by the M.P.A.A., 3 December 2003 Author: Captain_Couth (sirjosephu@aol.com) from Sacramento, CA
Brother (2000) marks the English language directorial debut for Takeshi Kitano in this cross over gangster film about a deposed Yakuza living in exile on the streets of L.A. This entertaining and surprisingly fast moving picture (for a Kitano film) release date was delayed in the United States by more than a year. When it was finally released the film played mainly in Art houses and was heavily edited by the old cronies that sit on the M.P.A.A. board. It's impossible to see this movie how it was original meant to be show. Sadly, prior releases (even on video) were the same old prints that were used during it's theatrical release. Ho-hum. I recommend the director's/international version of this film. The M.P.A.A. cut lacks the punch of the original.A+ (International)B+ (american)
25 out of 31 people found the following comment useful :- Another masterpiece from Kitano, 29 June 2002 Author: Bogey Man from Finland
Takeshi Kitano's Brother is Kitano's masterpiece among his other films. I really haven't seen bad film from him. Brother is set in America as Kitano's character travels to US from Japan, and starts new life there. He has his half brother living there so he has a place to live in. Soon he starts to have new friends and become a leader and member of their new gang/yakuza. Violent confrontations with other gangs and mafia take place as everyone is willing to use violence and vengeance in order to settle things.Brother has all the usual and breath taking Kitano elements we've learnt to see. The flashbacks of events, long shots without editing, character's faces that say more things than 100 words, images of beauty and peace and wry humor, among others elements. The main theme in Brother is loyalty and friendship that becomes even love. The last scene is fantastic and very unusual for Kitano; never has he underlined his message this clearly as he does in Brother's finale. It is so purifying scene and really makes the point clear, but still, most people don't understand anything about Kitano's films, because they are so personal and different compared to Western mainstream films.Brother is like a combination of Violent Cop and Hana'Bi. It has Violent Cop's bleakness and Hana-Bi's beauty and sadness. Brother is very sad film at times, and only last scene gives something really positive and also optimistic. Hana-Bi is very sad and beautiful film, and these two, Brother and Hana-Bi, have much in common. Both were composed by the same guy, Joe Hisaishi, who did fantastic job especially in Hana-Bi and also Sonatine. Violent Cop is very gritty and also pessimistic film, and is very similar to Brother in its overall look of life. Both films are also very calm and restrained and not as visually stunning as Hana-Bi and Sonatine. All these films are masterpieces of Japanese cinema, and it is interesting to see how Kitano mixes elements from his other films and creates always something new and immortal. The violence is very brutal and challenging but definitely not gratuitous or exploitative. Kitano's violence is always very symbolic and sudden, and not necessarily realistic. These films analyze many aspects of violence as a tool of communicating for weak souls. Kitano definitely doesn't justify violence or praise it; he just shows what most people or film makers probably wouldn't even dare to think of, and once the viewer may be thinking "yeah, kill that b****rd!" the film turns against the viewer and makes him think what he just said and accepted. The more emotionally challenging film is, the more noteworthy it becomes and Kitano's films are perfect examples of that. Brother is also occasionally filled with Kitano's wry and personal humor which was at its taunting in his Boiling Point. Brother has many great personal touches of its creator and every time Kitano's character laughs here, there is something very twisted in his mind and going on. Brother is not thoroughly cynical film after all, and these humoristic touches only add to the great purification of the last scene. The film criticizes yakuza also pretty much and with the director's personal style, as there are numerous scenes involving yakuza rites and codes of honor. Also, there is a great scene involving basketball and yakuza member's attempt to get the ball and be king of the game and have a feeling of being somebody. Boiling Point has plenty of these scenes and tones as the gangsters play tough guy with big guns and thus try to get acceptance. These films really should make yakuzas ask themselves, why?I am totally stunned by cinematic styles Kitano uses in his films. The editing and photography is so incredibly smooth and stylish, and creates the atmosphere of the film. The faces are among the most important details in Kitano's films as there are so many things to be read from characters' faces. For example, there is awesome scene in Brother's beginning where Kitano "sees" the death of a yakuza boss. Kitano has totally unique sense of beauty, sensitivity and expressing emotions that has no comparison from other films. His character doesn't talk too much in his films, but anytime he says something, he says and expresses more than thousand words. His films are immortal and can be seen over and over again, and still they have plenty of things to offer for the lover of this unique cinema.Brother is among Kitano's greatest films and I definitely give this ten out of ten, because there are absolutely no negative aspects in this film, and this proudly stands in Takeshi Kitano's filmography.
17 out of 25 people found the following comment useful :- Outstanding, 19 March 2003 Author: whoTheFuqRyou from NYC
to say that this was good is a complete understatement. I had heard about this movie before but never saw until one night it popped up on HBO Zone. I was like "what the hell" and figure it wouldn't hurt to watch, but when I did - I LOVED IT!! there isn't much English dialogue in this movie, but there's enough - it's understandable as it's about a Yakuza gangster(Kitano) who is Exiled from Japan only to form an American Yakuza overseas in the U.S. - He collaborates with his brother(Miko) and his crew to form the organization. Omar Epps is in this as Denny, he is pretty good in this but it was the Japanese in this movie that really made this worth the watch... VERY Good mafia flick10/10
10 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :- Kitano invades LA - almost succeeds, 30 November 2003 Author: gray4 from Somerset, England
This is the 4th Kitano film I've seen recently. It has most of the characteristics of the other films - the sudden, shocking violence, the impassive silences, the same supporting actors, the obligatory seaside scene. But the shift to an American location weakens it, despite the excellent contributions of the US actors, especially Omar Epps.But the core, unmissable qualities of a Kitano film remain. Takeshi Kitano must be the natural successor to Clint Eastwood as an anti-hero. Most of the stylised violence takes place off-screen, with a flash of humour, then the after-effects vividly on display. The sound-track from Joe Hisaishi matches the screen action perfectly, at times an aggressive supplement to the violence, at other times hauntingly peaceful.The ending is the film's weakest part, as though Kitano pandered to imagined (or real) American requirements. The out-of-town setting and road movie elements fit uncomfortably with the rest of the film. But if this is the compromise needed to get Kitano to make more films out of Japan, it must be worthwhile.
8 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :- A pretty good movie, far from the first comment (which was way off), 23 June 2004 Author: bienetre from Toronto
Gridoon you're an @ss. Your comments regarding Brother indicate your obvious lack of knowledge regarding the Japanese culture, or the culture of the Japanese mob environment. I suggest you see more of Kitano's works before you slander his movies. It's obvious you approach movie making from a painfully bland American point of view; lacking emotion does not necessarily make for a boring, "choppy" movie. If you were to view his other movies, you'd discover that his "lack of emotion" is a trademark of his characters - people caught in the hum-drum of everyday life, who recognize their own mortality and are not afraid to accept their fate which may include death.-> is there any other explanation for the "disemboweling" sequence?If you understood the script and knew a thing or two about Japanese culture, you'd realize that it served two purposes. First, going to that extreme displayed his unerring sense of loyalty to the brotherhood and more importantly to the boss: being accused of duplicity makes for a loss of face and immense shame. Secondly, to show one's "stomach" in Japanese means to show one's true intentions; something he carried out literally.Brother wasn't Kitano's best movie, but for all intents and purposes it carried out a unique juxtaposition regarding the notion of brotherhood in America and Japan, something you lacked to mention in your empty critique. Kitano's movies don't serve a specific purpose per se; they instead choose to reveal a particular aspect or characteristic of Japanese society through various mediums. Kitano's "inexpressiveness" (sic), or rather, lack of expression, does not necessarily render this movie as bad as you make it out to be. For example, in his other work, hana-bi (Fireworks), his lines are monosyllabic, isolated, and his wife only utters two sentences in the end. He chooses to convey more in his movies through his composure, body language and the consequences of his actions. For those who actually understand a thing or two about Japanese culture, his works and mentality, Kitano's works - his movies, books, shows - have won him acclaim and respect in the film scene, and not necessarily the Hollywood engine.
12 out of 17 people found the following comment useful :- Not Kitano´s best, but still a good movie!, 26 May 2002 Author: DJ Inferno
"Brother" may be Kitano´s most well-known and successful movie, but after all it´s just another sign that success at the box offices doesn´t make the perfect movie, because it lacks in many respects: the story is too one-dimensional and delivers nothing really new, the characters are not developed enough, excluding the brilliant play of Omar Epps and, of course, Kitano himself. However, if you like heavy gunfight violence in the style of "Reservoir Dogs" or Takeshi´s elder "Violent Cop" this is the right film for you! The body count is higher than in all Quentin Tarantino/Sam Peckinpah films together and even some gore like cut off fingers and heads is brought on here and there. Once more the violent pictures are laid under with beautiful piano music what gives some disturbing aspects as well as emotional rollercoasters to this film. Definitely one of the better gangster movies of the last few years, but not the best as often said. A good film which is a little bit overrated... Can´t await to see Kitano´s "Battle Royale" - this one must be really brilliant..!
6 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :- Absolute genius., 15 May 2006 Author: zombieman1978 from Canada
When I rented Takeshi Kitano's stunning masterpiece brother, it was simply because I wanted to get myself further immersed in Asian cinema. Although, I'm was a little bit iffy because of the fact that Omar Epps was in it, and I was worried that it would be some piece of americanized garbage. But when I watched it,I was completely blown away. It was intelligent without being terribly confusing, and it was violent without being overly gross. This is one of the best movies I have ever seen, and is quite possibly one of the greatest films ever made. The story concerns Aniki Yamomoto (Takeshi kitano, under the name Beat Takeshi) who joins a very well-to-do yakuza family in japan. But when a price is put on his head, he flees to America, to set up shop there with his younger brother Ken (kuroudo Maki under the name Claude Maki) and his gang, which includes a black man named Denny (Omar Epps). They run into trouble with other mobs in the city, but Aniki's style of war brings them on a steady inclination to the top. Underrated and under-appreciated, this little gem is definitely a good one to own, as it is truly a cinematic masterpiece.
4 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :- Be Prepared, 11 October 2006 Author: jzappa from United States
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.
2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :- Yakuza driven from Japan comes to the land of the free, 12 September 2006 Author: johnericbackstrom from Sweden
*** This comment may contain spoilers ***
Yakuza driven from Japan comes to the land of the free.Never has the saying "A picture says more then a thousand words" been more thru. We follow the bloody path of Yamamoto from Japan to Los Angeles and I for one is mesmerized with the slow pace and storytelling shown in this great piece of cinematography.Parallels can be drawn to many movies. Mainly Samurai movies with the themes of pride, revenge and retribution. But also the basic story of a gangsters rise to fame (Scarface for instance). The story could be translated into so many eras but particularly the samurai theme is strong in the gunfights who aren't flashy like you could expect from an Asian movie. More plain tense, bloody and quick. These are murderers not soldiers or cops from a Hollywood movie.
2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :- A great yet different kind of gangster movie, 11 June 2006 Author: greatwarrior01 from United States
This movie was recommended to me by a friend. So when i was browsing blockbuster like I do a lot it caught my eye. I looked at it for a second the cover. And knew it was beat Takeshi and Omar Epps. I'm an Omar Epps fan so what could i say i couldn't pass this up. The first thing you'll notice in this movie is the sideways angles and his unique directing style. After a confrontation with Omar Epps character you find out how cool Beat Takeshi is he hardly says a word for the first 15 minutes. He portrays the essence of cool in his character. Once the movie really gets started it never stops. It takes you through the whole span of Beats attempt on L.A. First taking out the Mexican gangs then moving up. Until eventually his fall in the form of the Italian mob. THe movie isn't pretty the violence is often over the top. But Beat Takeshi does it in almost a comical way reminiscent of the Qeuntin Tarrantino movies. In the beginning of the movie you get to see Beat in his Yakuza gang in Tokyo and you get some insight on what it is like for those gangsters. Very different from the mobs and mafias of America. Beat is in my opinion the best gangster ever portrayed on cinema to date he doesn't talk that much only acts and you don't wanna get him mad. Omar Epps was a hidden surprise for me being in such a big role co staring next to Beat Takeshi. He holds his own as the Bosses Right hand man and they become close friends after a witty scene involving Omars character betting on dice with Beat and losing money then later Epps finds out there was a hole in the cup. The supporting cast is OK at what they do mostly to die and kill and for some very funny moments. Such as when one of the Hench men is playing basketball with his peers and he yelling for them to pass him the ball and he gets quickly infuriated and starts kicking the others to pas to him. The end is really something to me. Its very differently yet the same to the American gangster movies such as Scarface but does it in an off beat way. I recommend this movie to anybody who likes action or gangster movies or who wants a taste of the Japanese culture. Its one of my favorite movies by Takeshi definitely check this one out.
Add another comment
