Brother

Rating:
Summary: America Ruins a Great Film.
Review: I recently rented Brother on DVD here in america last week. And was saddened to find that they edited a fair amount of scenes from the original version. The movie still functions with the scenes edited out, but I felt that these edited scenes brought more clarity to the movie. The edited amereican version doesn't quite have that clarity, and therefore suffers somewhat. The edited scenes were mostly in Japanese, and gave background on why Takeshi's character was going to LA. . Perhaps the studio felt that american viewers do not like to read subtitles or don't like seeing people in other countries. I am not sure why this was done, but I think that it takes away from the movie and shortchanges the viewer. Anyhow, it is Takeshi being Takeshi, and the movie is well done. Not a bad crossover film for Takeshi and Kitano. It's rather humourous at times and there is enough bad [butt]edness going around to make even the seasoned action flix fan happy. I would give it 5 stars had they not messed with it and edited scenes from the original.

Rating:
Summary: Not too Slow
Review: This movie is great, not too slow, like Fireworks is too many people. The action scenes are intermixed well with Takeshi's usual trivial (sometimes humorous) scenes.

It show a good contrast between LA thugs and the Yakuza back home. If you thought his other movies were too slow, this will not disappoint.

Rating:
Summary: Mind numbing violence
Review: This movie is about a Japanese gangster exiled from his homeland and forced to flee to America. From the moment he sets foot on foreign soil, his orgy of violence and destruction begins. If you're a fan of action and violence, this movie has plenty of both. The film portrays the extremely violent lifestyle of Japanese gangsters. Unfortunately that's about all it has going for it.

Much of the time the plot seems disjoint and unconnected. Music is lacking. A lot of the time it was difficult to understand what was going on. I can only recommend this to gangster movie aficionados.

Rating:
Summary: ANOTHER GREAT FILM FROM A GREAT DIRECTOR
Review: Acclaimed director Takeshi Kitano -winner of the Golden Lion in Venice '97 for his film "Fireworks"- is again behind the camera directing Brother, his ninth film to date. Kitano also plays the role of the main character as he has done in most of his films.

The movie tells us the story of Yamamoto, a member of the Yakuza -the Japanese Mob-, who is expelled from the brotherhood he belongs to due to the betrayal of several members of his clan. He's given up for dead and moves from Tokyo to Los Angeles where he has a younger brother who survives as a modest drug dealer. Then, they begin to wipe out their opponents and thanks to Yamamoto's courage and insight they will become a powerful clan that controls several city areas. However, on their way to seize power, they meet their match and things will begin to go downhill. I won't spoil the ending but I must say that it's a thrilling and emotive one.

Kitano offers to the audience an electrifying portrayal of the Yakuza, its motivations and, most of all, its code of honor. The film can also be described as a tragedy because there's a sense of fatality which indicates that everything in the movie moves toward their end. The film depicts the state of mind of a man(Yamamoto)who has lost everything in which he believed and who has become a stateless person, an uprooted drifter shunned from his cultural environment with a ticket of no return.
As in other previous films by this director, deadpan humor is also present but perhaps not so constant as in other movies. There's also an underlying parody of the genre of action and noir films in the realistic and, at the same time, exaggerated way that Kitano describes violence.

Another remarkable aspect is the marvellous soundtrack composed by Kitano's longtime collaborator, Joe Hisaishi. A tranquil and melodic score that apparently contrasts with the violence that surrounds the film and which features orchestral and minimal music accompanied by free jazz and rock with absolute perfection in an unparalled exercise of emotional intensity.

To finish I'll just say that, in my humble opinion, Brother is an exciting film that is worth seeing and which proves, one more time, that Takeshi Kitano is one of the most talented and distinctive filmmakers of our days.

Rating:
Summary: GOOD, BUT NOT TAKESHI'S BEST
Review: While "Brother" has all the trademark characteristics of Takeshi's other films, it still seems a little out of it's depth, probably due to the fact that it takes place in an American city where people shoot at you just for cutting them off in traffic. Maybe in Japan a man who is unhesitatingly violent can rapidly and almost single-handedly carve a local crime empire out for himself, but it's doubtful he'd last more than a few days in L.A. The idea of Takeshi's character establishing himself by just shooting a round dozen criminals strains belief past the breaking point. Still, it's a good film, that, as mentioned before, has all the things that make Takeshi's films worth watching; the casual yet incredibly brutal violence, the realistic lack of romance that characterize most other gangster films, and Takeshi's own rigid stoicism that makes Clint Eastwood look like Richard Simmons in comparison. And while lacking the more meditative moments in his other films like Sonatine and Fireworks, Brother is still worth watching.

Rating:
Summary: Gangster Violence as art
Review: There is such a paucity of good movies out these days that when a decent, worthwhile effort such as this appears one is tempted to rate it higher than it deserves.

While Hollywood continues to churn out the usual stuff and sequels to try and maintain the revenue momentum, along comes the odd foreign movie to jolt the system a little.

Contrast the violent portrayal of gangster life against the latest Arnie movie. I am sure that there will be uproar in some quarters not only against the viciousness of it but also against the graphic nature. The broader view is the use of the violence to highlight a code of honour to which the Japanese gangsters adhere.

The film contrasts the use of violence in gangster societies, pitting the somewhat ethical stance of the Japanese against the money orientated Mafia and the utter ruthlessness to which they will resort.

A peculiar feature of the movie is the central character who speaks fewer words than in the entire screenplay for 2001. The camera follows his arrival in Los Angeles, his recollection of how he came to America, through his growing success in the drug trade until his ultimate demise. Throughout this journey homage is paid to American mob movies, in particular the Godfather. In one particular scene a meeting is planned whereby the other side are to be taken out by the use of weaponry hidden in the bathroom. When the moment comes, the weapons cannot be accessed due to the bathroom being occupied. The penultimate scene too is a genuflection to the scene in the Godfather where Sonny is killed by the massed ranks of machine gun toting, nicely dressed hoods.

But in the end the Yakuza is found to be a decent chap as he repays his long time associate for an earlier misdeed he committed against him and provides the wherewithal for a new start, presumably on the right side of the law.

There are some great scenes in this movie, some of which are referred to in other reviews. The scenes are sharp and bright and the camerawork is excellent establishing a high sense of realism.

This movie is not for the squeamish but should not be viewed as a gratuitous violence flick. It is a serious study of modern life and the blurring of cultural dividing lines across nations.

Worth seeing again.

Rating:
Summary: just right
Review: Takeshi knows his crime drama and this film, while not as thoughtful as Fireworks, is stunning. If you enjoy a different style of pacing and characters with character then his movies are up your alley. Violent and then peaceful, Brother is more a work of art than just a yakuza film.

Rating:
Summary: FIREWORKS AGAIN? NOT QUITE...
Review: Kitano Takeshi's first American directorial effort plays it safe thematically, while upgrading production quality and the level of violence. BROTHER is almost a remake of SONATINE, including his trademark touches of long, quiet scenes followed by sudden eruptions of violence, important events taking place offscreen (which Kitano learned from Mizoguchi Kenji) and so on. There's even a reference to a shootout visible only via flashing lights in SONATINE.

Another odd thing is the movie taking time to explicate the value system of the Japanese yakuza, as if Kitano felt it necessary to show to American audience the ABCs of the yakuza genre. Seemingly no one remembered to tell him that there already is Sidney Lumet's excellent YAKUZA with Robert Mitchum and Takakura Ken, wherein Mitchum cuts off his pinkie in the end to show appreciation for Takakura. (James Shigeta, a veteran Japanese American actor, who plays Yamamoto's accountant in BROTHER, was in it too)

BROTHER is a disappointment to those who take Kitano seriously as a cineaste and not just a genre filmmaker, but the film is not without its charms and strengths. The central relationship between Omar Epps and Beat Takeshi is well-developed, and even though the redundancy of the very last scene has been pointed out, I would have to say that it works in the context of Epps' character.

As for the censorship, a mid-80s actioner such as THE CHALLENGE was far more violent than BROTHER, so I have no idea why they even bothered. In fact, THE CHALLENGE clearly showed a man's intenstines dangling from a sword slash, whereas a similar scene was obviously censored in this movie.

Rating:
Summary: WOW THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: Hands down the greatest movie of 2001.WOW!what a gangster perfect mafia pic.TAKESHI "BEAT" KITANO IS THE MAN!He directed and stars in this great action mobster YakuZA flick evryone would love.It is well thought out and concept is great.A blen of SCARFACE and RESERVOIR DOGS but very different and unique .After you see this movie you will rush to the video store and buy it i assure you! WOW *****"s.Check out also "FIREWORKS" with Beat Tkeshi also directed and "SONATINE".BROTHER IS UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!!!BUY OR RENT AT ALL COSTS_---"TWO THUMBS UP, WAY UP!"______EMAIL ME about what you think or info ...ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: A movie that makes Sopranos look like a network soap opera
Review: Ok never heard of this guy knew of Omar Epps seen him do mostly Black Dramas so along comes this movie that had it not had him on the cover I probably would have ignored it so I picked it up read the back cover put it down came back a week later on one of movie nights at home and pop it into my DVD player and was loving it from the moment it started Takeshi kitano is pure genius he made me chuckle at his mannerisms but I loved his intimate relationship with Omar Epps character after running into him on the street. I'm glad there was a mix of races in this movie from Asain ,Blacks,Hispanic and,Italian.It gave the movie depth it made it seem more realistic. The only reason I gave it four stars was that the pacing threw me for a couple moments and I was tempted to fall asleep until the action started other wise it was a treat to see definently a buy when I can track it down on DVD.