Fireworks

Rating:
Summary: Film's Violence Secondary to "Beat" Kitano's Performance
Review: Takeshi "Beat" Kitano shares Michael Caine's mastery of understatement, non-verbal clue, and eye contact. If you're looking for a cinema actor of the first rank, Kitano is the man, and "Fireworks" displays him at the top of his form. Usually hyped for its violence, "Fireworks" could just as easily be classed as a study in tenderness. Kitano's self-sacrifice for his crippled partner and dying wife is the true theme of this picture. This 1997 Venice Film Festival Grand Prize Winner is a fine introduction to Kitano's work. I was so struck by this work that I viewed it three times in a row - first for the initial impression, second to study Kitano's direction, and last to revel in his technical mastery of the actor's craft. I advice you to do the same.

Rating:
Summary: FIRST-CLASS DVD FOR A FIRST-CLASS DIRECTOR
Review: Winner of the Golden Lion of the 1997 Venice Film Festival, HANA-BI aka FIREWORKS is the movie that revealed japanese director Takeshi "Beat" Kitano to the international movie audience. Only a few curious movie lovers knew then Takeshi Kitano through SONATINE, A SCENE AT THE SEA or BOILING POINT.

Firstly, I would like to point out the superb quality of this DVD presentation of New Yorker Films. Theatrical trailers (american and japanese), filmographies of the main actors, an excellent featurette presenting Kitano at work during FIREWORKS shooting, a gallery of Kitano's paintings and, last but not least, interviews of the director discreetly hidden in the scene access department of the DVD. Thank you for these bonus features that allow us to know a little better this very interesting director.

Like in Kitano's precedent movies, FIREWORKS describes the consequences of a crucial decision taken by the main character of the movie. Takeshi "Nishi" Kitano has had a bad year : his wife is slowly dying at the local hospital and his best friend is confined in a wheelchair, shot while Nishi was visiting his wife. Nishi robs a bank and decides to offer to his wife a trip into the japanese countryside before facing the consequences of his act.

A good introduction into the imaginary world of this first-class director.

Rating:
Summary: A beautiful Aria
Review: From "Beat" Takeshi Kitano, Fireworks plays like a beautiful aria. It's the story of a man who has suffered tremendous tragedy in his life, and makes one final attempt to make peace with himself, the world, and his wife who is dying of Cancer. The amazing music score by Joe Hisaishi (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke) adds massive depth to the already intense images revealed. Quite possibly Takeshi Kitano's masterpiece it also includes beautiful montages of Kitano's own paintings. The film was made after Kitano had a serious motorcycle accident and deals with his feelings over neglecting his family over the years, and the power of redemption. A must have for all those who appreciate Foreign Films, and especially those who appreciate Japanese Film.

Rating:
Summary: Fireworks; a masterpiece of Japanese filmmaking
Review: Never have I felt so tense and moved when I saw this little-known film (in the U.S., that is) at Sundance Film Festival in early '98. The general audience's reaction, moviegoers and attendees alike, was astonishing as I saw the movie with my dad, who is not familiar with Japanese filmmaking except for a few Akira Kurosawa movies. After the film ended abruptly with a young girl carrying the kite on the beach, the majority of an audience sat through the ending credits stunned, and began talking about it. Fireworks, originally titled Hana-Bi, is by no means "Beat" Takeshi Kitano's best film ever made. That doesn't mean his previous film efforts like Violent Cop and Sonatine are up to par with this movie when compared (and that's why Quentin Tarantino loves his films). It is a very different movie with the perfect comination of emotions that will leave the viewer haunted with vivid imaginations for days. A word of warning, however: this film is not for the squeamish, as its depiction of bloody violence is intense enough to repulse. But the quiet and emotional texture instilled throughout the characters are nevertheless amazing. That should be enough to rival even decent Hollywood movies.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding movie, but this DVD is CUT!!!!!
Review: Fireworks (released internationally as "Hana-Bi") was the seventh film directed by Takeshi Kitano, Japanese comedian, novelist, essayist, short story writer, poet, critic, musician, cartoonist, painter and filmaker.

Kitano (always credited as "Beat" Takeshi as an actor) wrote the screenplay and stars as Nishi, a tough cop struggling to cope with the recent death of his daughter while caring for his leukemia stricken wife. One day, at his partner's urging, he takes a break from a stakeout to visit his wife at the nearby hospital where she's being treated. In his absence, things go terribly wrong; his partner is left crippled and another officer is killed.

Kitano plays Nishi like a man holding the weight of the world on his shoulders, struggling to maintain composure in the wake of a tragedy that has shattered the lives of people close to him. The quiet dignity with which he carries himself is compromised only by an occasional facial tic, which we see while he listens to his ex-partner reveal that his family abandoned him after the shooting and later when the dead officer's widow pours her heart to him about the emotional and financial difficulties of raising her daughter alone.

Hoping to make his wife's final days more pleasant, he borrows money from a local Yakuza, but when he falls behind on the interest payments, he becomes the subject of harrassment and threats. Determined to correct everything that's gone wrong, Nishi decides to rob a bank to pay back the Yakuza and take care of his wife, ex-partner and the widow of the slain officer. The situation escalates out of control, resulting in an understated, but powerful climax.

This film won the Golden Lion award for Best Picture at the 1997 Venice International Film Festival and propelled Kitano to the forefront of Japanese cinema. It's considered by many critics and fans to be Kitano's best movie, though I consider his 2002 release "Dolls" (unavailable on U.S. DVD) to be a strong contender for that distinction.

Now, the problem with this DVD. The transfer itself is fine. The film is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 with clear, well translated subtitles and some nice features. However, the disc is inexplicably missing aproximately 4 minutes of footage. Why a company like New Yorker Films, which specializes in art house releases, would release a truncated version of such a seminal work, is anyone's guess, but American companies have not been kind to Kitano's works. Any DVD released stateside of his films has a much better version overseas. I strongly urge anyone interested in this film to look for the uncut Korean special edition DVD (under the original title "Hana-Bi"), which is NTSC and region free (despite being labled Region 3 on the box)), so it will play on any North American DVD player. It has excellent subtitles and even costs a few dollars less than the incomplete American version.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding movie, but this DVD is CUT!!!!!
Review: Fireworks (released internationally as "Hana-Bi") was the seventh film directed by Takeshi Kitano, Japanese comedian, novelist, essayist, short story writer, poet, critic, musician, cartoonist, painter and filmaker.

Kitano (always credited as "Beat" Takeshi as an actor) wrote the screenplay and stars as Nishi, a tough cop struggling to cope with the recent death of his daughter while caring for his leukemia stricken wife. One day, at his partner's urging, he takes a break from a stakeout to visit his wife at the nearby hospital where she's being treated. In his absence, things go terribly wrong; his partner is left crippled and another officer is killed.

Kitano plays Nishi like a man holding the weight of the world on his shoulders, struggling to maintain composure in the wake of a tragedy that has shattered the lives of people close to him. The quiet dignity with which he carries himself is compromised only by an occasional facial tic, which we see while he listens to his ex-partner reveal that his family abandoned him after the shooting and later when the dead officer's widow pours her heart to him about the emotional and financial difficulties of raising her daughter alone.

Hoping to make his wife's final days more pleasant, he borrows money from a local Yakuza, but when he falls behind on the interest payments, he becomes the subject of harrassment and threats. Determined to correct everything that's gone wrong, Nishi decides to rob a bank to pay back the Yakuza and take care of his wife, ex-partner and the widow of the slain officer. The situation escalates out of control, resulting in an understated, but powerful climax.

This film won the Golden Lion award for Best Picture at the 1997 Venice International Film Festival and propelled Kitano to the forefront of Japanese cinema. It's considered by many critics and fans to be Kitano's best movie, though I consider his 2002 release "Dolls" (unavailable on U.S. DVD) to be a strong contender for that distinction.

Now, the problem with this DVD. The transfer itself is fine. The film is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 with clear, well translated subtitles and some nice features. However, the disc is inexplicably missing aproximately 4 minutes of footage. Why a company like New Yorker Films, which specializes in art house releases, would release a truncated version of such a seminal work, is anyone's guess, but American companies have not been kind to Kitano's works. Any DVD released stateside of his films has a much better version overseas. I strongly urge anyone interested in this film to look for the uncut Korean special edition DVD (under the original title "Hana-Bi"), which is NTSC and region free (despite being labled Region 3 on the box)), so it will play on any North American DVD player. It has excellent subtitles and even costs a few dollars less than the incomplete American version.

Rating:
Summary: Fire and Flower
Review: "Fireworks" is a direct translation of the Japanese title "Hanabi," which combines the two words "fire" and "flower." The title was chosen due to the juxtaposition of the calm beauty of a flower, and the burning intensity of fire, which perfectly captures the feeling of this Beat Takeshi masterpiece.

I was expecting quite a different film, one more packed with violence and action, something more along the lines of a John Woo/Chow Yun Fat creation. Instead, this is a calm, understated and emotional film peppered with miniature explosions like...fireworks. The pacing of the film is typical of Japanese storytelling, patient and quiet allowing enough time for a story to build fully and characters to live and die on the screen.

Takeshi gives such a complete performance, saying everything with a glance or a movement. Dialog is almost unnecessary, although when it does come it punctuates the scene fluently. He is equal parts warrior and lover, tender and hard. Kayoko Kishimoto delivers an equally wonderful performance as Miyuki, Nishi's wife, dying of leukemia yet able to charm with a smile.

Visually, the movie is stunning, full of creative scenes and transitions. Takeshi knows when to have the action appear off-camera, and when to focus. The use of nature as an element in the film is beautiful, as the story moves from snow to sea to mountain.

Takeshi "Beat" Kitano is one of Japan's greatest modern filmmakers, and "Fireworks" is one of his greatest film. A stunning film.

Rating:
Summary: FIREWORKS Explode
Review: While some viewers may find FIREWORKS slightly inaccessible, others will clearly be drawn into Takeshi Kitano's brilliant use of sight, sound, and silence to tell this intensely layered story of ex-cop Nishi -- haunted equally by a violent past and an uncertain future with a wife slowly dying of Leukemia.

Having taken an unauthorized break from his police stakeout, Nishi's long-time partner Hirobe is attacked, an event which leaves him paralyzed. Struggling with his guilt, Nishi leaves the police force to spend time caring for his ailing wife. He wants her final days to be the best he can possibly provide, and this leads him to a series of bad choices made involving the Yakuza (Japanese mafia). However, every attempt to bring balance to his life only drives Nishi deeper and deeper into desperation and desperate acts ... all the while maintaining the calm, cool exterior of man with his own sense of justice behind his purpose.

This film is meticulously constructed: each of every scene has purpose, and many of them serve several. As is common to Kitano's films, moments of pure calm are juxtaposed with percussive scenes of unanticipated violence in a way very few films have successfully captured and managed to maintain a message.

Rating:
Summary: I think it's about time.
Review: I think this movie says a lot of things about what death is. Sometimes someone is killed because of the bad things they've done and sometimes out of mercy. But this movie is'nt about violence as much as people have been saying. The cover says "a masterpiece in violence" I wouldn't care if Takeshi himself wrote that I would disagree. It's more a masterpiece in guilt, compassion, and a person who doesnt have any patience for those trying to ruin his life. It's really a lot deeper than anything I've said but if you
like sincere acting and a really good story that you'll always remember watch it. That Beat Takeshi He makea mea cry.

Rating:
Summary: ...
Review: Hana-Bi is a sometimes quirky, but wholely, achingly, sad movie. It is NOT "a masterpiece in violence" as one of the fluff quotes on the cover indicates. While there are occasional bursts of violence, they're quick and to the point, and, more than anything, used as character development; emotionally, the tone is constant and subdued, happily sad, and anyhing but violent.

Stylistically, Hana-Bi sort of mashes up its timline, so that parts of scenes that have already happned, but havn't been shown yet, parts of scenes that havn't happened yet are spliced into the present, which serves the story and the tone well. Visually it ranges from fantastic to plain. My biggest complaint would be about the soundtrack, which is slightly cheesy, somewhat beautiful, approprate to the movie, but overused enough that at points it gets annoying (although the overuse makes room for a good effect). Of course, this stuff mostly isn't important enough to the movie that it could possibly degrade it.

Hana-Bi is something you must see. However, the DVD release is pretty {bad}(really... what self respecting movie fan would consider hard coded subtitles "enchanced"?), which makes me want to recommend a rental rather than immediate purchase, unless a better release is made (pray) or you can get your hands on a decent region 2 import (I think the japanese dvd has english subtitles... of course it also costs 50 dollars...).