Sitges 2010: OUTRAGE Review
[Our thanks to Guillem Rosset for the following review.]
It's been a while, but Takeshi Kitano has finally returned to the genre that launched him to the international success. After exploring the mysteries of artistic creation and his own inner world with his last three films, Kitano returns with Outrage to his origins and the violent world of the yakuza.
The film revolves about the power struggle within a yakuza clan. Otomo (played by Kitano himself) is a mid-level boss who's ordered to do the dirty work for his boss, Ikemoto. While staying in jail, Ikemoto became brother with Murase, boss of a rival gang. The Chairman of Ikemoto's yakuza family doesn't like this alliance, so he orders Ikemoto to distance himself from Murase and his drug business. As he swore an oath to Murase, Ikemoto resorts to Otomo to start a war with Murase's gang. But in the world of Outrage nothing's what it seems, as it seems everyone has his own agenda and so the power struggle inside the family begins.
Given the number of characters, and the constantly changing loyalties between them, sometimes it's difficult to keep track of everyone's interests and intentions. But it really doesn't matter, because one more time Kitano takes the audience back into the private world of the yakuza like no other filmmaker could have. It's a world of tough men, of loyalty and respect but also of greed and violence. As the plot develops, so does the ever growing spiral of violence. Over the years Kitano has created his own trademark when it comes to displaying violence on screen, and this time it's even more dry and brutal than ever.
On the acting side, Kitano has assembled a wonderful cast of actors. Seasoned yakuza films fans will notice some familiar faces here, but there's also some new young faces. Performances are strong throughout the film, with only minor problems with some non-Japanese actors (as usual in Japanese films, sadly). Beat Takeshi once again brings his characteristic inscrutable face and body, leaving the interpretation of his acts and words to the audience.
All in all, it's difficult to pick up something wrong about the movie. Maybe it's bigger flaw is that you won't find anything original here. Kitano returned to the genre with a very "classic" yakuza-made-in-Kitano movie. But that's not a bad thing for itself, as it's precisely what his fans were expecting. It's a pity though that Kitano stopped working with Joe Hisaishi so long ago, as his collaborations with the composer always produced brilliant results. This time Keiichi Suzuki is behind the soundtrack one more time, doing a correct job but far behind the heights of Hisaishi's work.
For now, fans may rest assured: Takeshi Kitano is back for good (he's already working in the sequel). So welcome back to the world of men with impeccable suits and black cars, a world that few manage to bring to life as masterfully as Takeshi Kitano.
Review by Guillem Rosset
It's been a while, but Takeshi Kitano has finally returned to the genre that launched him to the international success. After exploring the mysteries of artistic creation and his own inner world with his last three films, Kitano returns with Outrage to his origins and the violent world of the yakuza.
The film revolves about the power struggle within a yakuza clan. Otomo (played by Kitano himself) is a mid-level boss who's ordered to do the dirty work for his boss, Ikemoto. While staying in jail, Ikemoto became brother with Murase, boss of a rival gang. The Chairman of Ikemoto's yakuza family doesn't like this alliance, so he orders Ikemoto to distance himself from Murase and his drug business. As he swore an oath to Murase, Ikemoto resorts to Otomo to start a war with Murase's gang. But in the world of Outrage nothing's what it seems, as it seems everyone has his own agenda and so the power struggle inside the family begins.
Given the number of characters, and the constantly changing loyalties between them, sometimes it's difficult to keep track of everyone's interests and intentions. But it really doesn't matter, because one more time Kitano takes the audience back into the private world of the yakuza like no other filmmaker could have. It's a world of tough men, of loyalty and respect but also of greed and violence. As the plot develops, so does the ever growing spiral of violence. Over the years Kitano has created his own trademark when it comes to displaying violence on screen, and this time it's even more dry and brutal than ever.
On the acting side, Kitano has assembled a wonderful cast of actors. Seasoned yakuza films fans will notice some familiar faces here, but there's also some new young faces. Performances are strong throughout the film, with only minor problems with some non-Japanese actors (as usual in Japanese films, sadly). Beat Takeshi once again brings his characteristic inscrutable face and body, leaving the interpretation of his acts and words to the audience.
All in all, it's difficult to pick up something wrong about the movie. Maybe it's bigger flaw is that you won't find anything original here. Kitano returned to the genre with a very "classic" yakuza-made-in-Kitano movie. But that's not a bad thing for itself, as it's precisely what his fans were expecting. It's a pity though that Kitano stopped working with Joe Hisaishi so long ago, as his collaborations with the composer always produced brilliant results. This time Keiichi Suzuki is behind the soundtrack one more time, doing a correct job but far behind the heights of Hisaishi's work.
For now, fans may rest assured: Takeshi Kitano is back for good (he's already working in the sequel). So welcome back to the world of men with impeccable suits and black cars, a world that few manage to bring to life as masterfully as Takeshi Kitano.
Review by Guillem Rosset
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