Brother (Japan/USA/UK, 2000)

A yakuza played by Kitano Takeshi is forced to leave Japan and go the United States after trouble with another yakuza family. In the U.S. he goes to his half brother and finds him a small time drug dealer. Then, he decides to show him how it is really done.

As it is often the case with his films, Takeshi also directs. And a fine director he is. There is a quality to what he does, a Kitano Takeshi style one could say. There are twists and surprises, silent scenes and a pace that is very peculiar, yet perfect. For instance, several scenes show the gangsters just killing time, gambling or joking around, making the characters even more believable. Not as much as in Sonatine, mind you, but just enough.

The amount of violence presented in this film could offend some viewers. Not because of it is graphic, mostly because it is brutal. Then again, it is not violence for the sake of violence, it is part of the world these characters live in and events they have to deal with. It is a Takeshi film after all.

Gangster movie lovers will surely enjoy Brother and genre movie fans should too.
Will make you want to see more of Kitano Takeshi’s work.

Gog