Takeshis' (2005)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Takeshi Kitano

Writer:

Takeshi Kitano (written by)

Release Date:

5 November 2005 (Japan)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

500% Kitano - nothing to add!

Plot:

Beat Takeshi, a prominent actor, meets a lookalike named Kitano, who is a struggling actor, but after the meeting, Kitano's dreams take a violent, surreal turn.

Plot Keywords:

Actor | Directed By Star | Surrealism | Blood | Woman Shot

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Takeshi Kitano	...	Beat Takeshi / Mr. Kitano (as Beat Takeshi)
Kotomi Kyôno	...	Takeshi's Girl Friend / Kitano's Female Neighbor
Kayoko Kishimoto	...	Mahjong Parlor Woman / Audition Producer / Customer
Ren Ôsugi	...	Takeshi's Manager / Taxi Driver
Susumu Terajima	...	Takeshi's Friend / Kitano's Yakuza Neighbor
Tetsu Watanabe	...	TV Wardrobe Master / Noodle Cook / Audition Actor
Akihiro Miwa	...	Himself
Naomasa Musaka
Kôichi Ueda
Tsutomu Takeshige
Beat Kiyoshi
Junya Takaki	...	Himself
Shôgo Kimura
Kanji Tsuda
Makoto Ashikawa

Also Known As:

Fractal (Japan) (working title)

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:18A | Singapore:M18 | Australia:MA (2007) | Hong Kong:IIB | Japan:R-18 | South Korea:18

Filming Locations:

Tokyo, Japan

Company:

Bandai Visual Company

Trivia:

Kitano conceived the idea during the shooting of Sonatine (1993). Then called 'Fractals', the idea was to depict how an ordinary person's dreams would create an imaginative world, where the dream person's dream's would create another imaginative world and so on, going back and forth between his actions in reality and those in his imaginary worlds. The project was, for many reasons, put off throughout the years, until Kitano rewrote the storyline and made himself the protagonist.

Quotes:

Takeshi's Friend: [about Beat Takeshi, who is his friend] Arrogant prick... To think that we started out together! He left us all behind. Wants me to call him "Mr. Takeshi" now. Arrogant prick!

Movie Connections:

References "Shakugan no Shana" (2005)

Fascinating and Puzzling

I don't think it's even possible to understand this movie if you aren't Japanese. And I'm not even sure most Japanese fans will really understand it. I can see elements of other Beat Takeshi films from Battle Royale to Zatoichi. And I'm sure that there are tons of references that I just don't recognize. But that's perfectly okay.

If you think of this film as music for your eyes and don't worry about understanding it, it's very enjoyable. You could also say that it's meant to be looked at instead of 'watched', like a moving painting. It isn't necessary to understand every tiny piece to enjoy the whole. But don't let that scare you away. This isn't artsy fartsy crap. There are boobs and guns and yakuzas to keep it interesting.

Of course I'm sure that many who consider themselves knowledgeable about Japanese cinema and Beat Takeshi in particular will think I'm talking out of my butt and will try to analyze and explain every little piece. And that's okay too, as long as they take time to actually enjoy the film.