Which brings us to his new film THE OUTRAGE...
THE OUTRAGE will be out in 6 weeks. It is my most anticipated film of the year. Kitano has never let me down. Early reviews range from "yay, he's making yakuza films again" to "it's been 10 long years since his last yakuza film". Indeed, he's back doing what made him famous, I suppose -- still, considering his non-yakuza films were just as good, and often better than his yakuza films (and considering only 5 of his 15 films really could be considered "yakuza films" despite nearly all of them containg elements/references to the yakuzas and crime), I am kinda indifferent. What more could he really do with this genre after Hana-Bi? Isn't this kinda like Godard making another Breathless after already making Slow Motion, Notre Musique, Oh Woe Is Me... wouldn't that seem a bit silly and ridiculous to make a silly old crime/love story film after making all these beautiul, dreamy, art house works? Same thing with Kitano, here, though I am still interested, as you never know what to expect with this man... perhaps he is finally able to make the yakuza film he's always wanted to make with this film. Perhaps this does have elements of his artsier films? Whatever the case, THE OUTRAGE will be upon us December 6th, with English subtitles, so my copy should be here around Christmas.
So, yeah, hope everyone enjoyed my essay on Kitano (you know, in the distant future, when people actually read it, haha).. I'm going to order my copy and sell the shoddy American versions of these films, aside from the disc with Sonatine and the a little extra film called "Zatoichi" that came with my copy, for $5!
I'd like to end this with a great Kitano quote... " It took me ten years of playing serial killers and rapists to be perceived as a serious actor amongst the Japanese public." Hopefully, with Kitano's 25th anniversary as a director coming within a few more years, it won't take audiences another 10 years to fully appreciate his arthouse masterpieces.
I hope you enjoyed my essay on the Master. I have no idea why I wrote it.