Sonatine

Rating:
Summary: masterpiece
Review: this is the first takeshi movie i saw, and a few hours ago i just watched his other masterpiece, FIREWORKS. i now pray for the distribution of his earlier movies in this country, because the director of these two is a man of real genius. certainly better than any american director working today. takeshi's direction and acting are literally flawless, with a stoic lyricism remniscent of Hemingway's writing. he's the best asian director of our time.

Rating:
Summary: Con by the reviewers
Review: Watch foreign films three to four times a week. Read the jacket review on Sonatine and selected for view. The worst acted, worst directed, worst edited foreign film I ever viewed. I generally fined merit in most reviews, these reviewers should be boycotted.

Rating:
Summary: 1 OF 2 MASTERPIECES FROM A GREAT JAPANESE ACTOR/DIRECTOR
Review: WHAT A TERRIFIC 1998 FOR ACTOR/DIRECTOR TAKESHI KITANO. 1ST HIS GREAT "FIREWORKS" COMES OUT IN THE SPRING AND LATER THAT YR COMES "SONATINE" WHICH IS THE DEFINITE JAPANESE "GOODFELLAS". BOTH FLICKS WERE SOOOOO GREAT THAT I CHOSE THE 2 AS A TIE FOR MY #1 BEST FILM OF '98. WHICH WAS THE BEST? HARD 2 ANSWER 'CAUSE I LOVED BOTH OF THEM! KITANO MASTERS "SONATINE" BEAUTIFULLY AND THE DIALOGUE HE WROTE WAS WAY BEFORE TARANTINO. "SONATINE" HAS DIALOGUE WHICH IS MUCH EDGIER AND A LOT MORE FUNNIER THAN "PULP FICTION". WE ALSO LAUGH AT MOMENTS OF SUDDEN HILARITY AND WE FRIGHTEN AT SUDDEN MOMENTS OF VIOLENCE ESPECIALLY THE GUNFIGHT AT THE BAR (I JUMPED AND MY HEART WENT RACING). THE DARK HUMOR HERE IS INCREDIBLE. THE GAMES KITANO AND HIS CRONIES CONCOCT ARE JUST VERY FUNNY AND REFRESHING. THE SHOOTING FIREWORKS SEQUENCE AT THE BEACH IS ONE. THEY SHOOT SPARKS AT EACH OTHER WHEN SUDDENLY KITANO PULLS OUT A GUN AND STARTS SHOOTING REAL BULLETS AND LAUGHING HIS HEAD OFF. SO DID MY HEAD AS I FELL OFF MY CHAIR. YOU GET SCARED IF KITANO'S GONNA SHOOT AND KILL SOMEBODY YET AT THE SAME TIME, YOU CHUCKLE BECAUSE THE GAME TAKES A VERY WACKY TURN. I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO HIS WORK IN 2 UPCOMING FEATURES: "KIKUJIRO" AND HIS 1ST U.S. FEATURE "BROTHER". TAKESHI 'BEAT' KITANO IS A MAJOR PLAYER IN INTERNATIONAL CINEMA AND HE MUST BE TAKEN VERY SERIOUSLY!