Synopsis Kitano plays sociopathic detective Azuma, a Dirty Harry-type whose single-mindedness leads him to self-destruction. After the death of his friend and colleague Iwaki, and the kidnapping of his sister by yakuza gangsters, Azuma breaks all the rules of ethical conduct. He responds to every situation with violence, and resorts to unethical methods if they produce results. Although Kinji Fukasaku was the film's original director, he stepped down upon falling ill. Kitano took over the position of director. The screenplay was originally written by Hisashi Nozawa, but upon taking over as director Kitano rewrote the script heavily. Despite his contributions to the screenplay, he was left uncredited as a contributing writer. The film was originally meant to be a comedy but Kitano wanted to try being a serious actor, therefore he made the movie into a police drama.
Awards 1990 Awards of the Japanese Academy - Most Popular Performer Takeshi Kitano
1990 Yokohama Film Festival - Best Director
1989 Nikkan Sports Film Awards - Best New Talent (Takeshi Kitano as first time film director)
Directors Biography Takeshi Kitano, born January 18, 1947 in Umejima, Adachi, Tokyo, is a Japanese filmmaker, comedian, actor, film editor, presenter, screenwriter, author, poet, painter, and one-time video game designer who has received critical acclaim, both in his native Japan and abroad, for his highly idiosyncratic cinematic work. With the exception of his works as a film director, he is known almost exclusively by the name Beat Takeshi. Since April 2005, he has been a professor at the Graduate School of Visual Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts. Kitano owns his own film company, Office Kitano, which launched Tokyo Filmex in 2000. Filmography: Violent Cop (1989), Boiling Point (1990), A Scene at the Sea (1991), Sonatine (1993), Getting Any? (1995), Kids Return (1996), Hana-bi (1997), Kikujiro (1999), Brother (2000), Dolls (2002), Zatōichi (2003), Takeshis' (2005), Glory to the Filmmaker! (2007), Achilles and the Tortoise (2008)
Location and screening schedule: BUG cinema &TD, Monday, October 20th at 21.00
