Hana-bi

English title: Fireworks

Also known as: Feux d’artifice

Genre: police drama 

With: Takeshi Kitano (Yoshitaka Nishi), Kayoko Kishimoto (his wife), Ren Osugi (Horibe), Susumu Terajima (Nakamura), Tetsu Watanabe (the Scrap Yard Owner), Hakuryû (the Yakuza Hitman), Yasuei Yakushiji (a Criminal), Tarô Itsumi (Kudo), Ken'ichi Yajima (the Doctor), Makoto Ashikawa (Tanaka), Yûko Daike (Tanaka’s widow)

Director: Takeshi Kitano

Screenplay: Takeshi Kitano

Release: 1997

Studio: Bandai Visual Company, TV Tokyo, Tokyo FM, Office Kitano

Rating: 18A

MBiS score: 8.8/10  

 

Brutal but Considerate

 

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Story-line: life is failing Yoshitaka Nishi, a veteran policeman who has recently left the force. Having lost a little daughter and seen a colleague die in the line of duty, he now has to deal with his wife’s terminal illness and his best friend’s career-ending injury. Moreover, he owes money to a mob operative. What keeps him going in spite of all this? I’d say toughness… and he has plenty of that.

Pluses: tremendous acting by Takeshi Kitano as the charismatic, taciturn and towering Nishi, an able cast around him, expert direction, a sketchy, clinical and disassembled screenplay, gorgeous cinematography, high-level production values and a moving musical score.

Minuses: be aware that this meditative film is interspersed with brief but startling scenes of savagery. As for the non-linear structure of the narrative, which may confuse some viewers, the story-line above gives you enough info to get you on your way.

Comments: HANA-BI, which alternates between sheer beauty and unbridled mayhem, bears Takeshi Kitano’s mark from beginning to end. As lead actor, director, screenwriter, editor and supplier of splendid artwork, Kitano has accomplished what few can ever hope for on film: an abstract, aesthetic and enigmatic tour de force. Here’s to another gem from international cinema, ceaselessly amazing and challenging.

  

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Gloria

Genre: crime drama  

With: Gena Rowlands (Gloria Swenson), John Adames (Phil Dawn), Julie Carmen (Jeri Dawn), Buck Henry (Jack Dawn), Jessica Castillo (Joan Dawn), John Finnegan (Frank), Basilio Franchina (Tony Tanzini)

Director: John Cassavetes

Screenplay: John Cassavetes

Release: 1980

Studio: Columbia Pictures

Rating: PG

MBiS score: 8.2/10 

 

Babysitter with a Snubnose 

 

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Story-line: the Bronx in the late 1970s. Coming home from the grocery store, Jeri Dawn finds the household in a panic. Her husband Jack warns her that the mob is looking for him and that fleeing is their only option. As they pack up essentials, a good-hearted neighbour named Gloria rings at the door. Pressed for time, Jeri asks her an unusual favour: to take care of her two kids, Joan and Phil.

Pluses: great acting by a lovely and gutsy Gena Rowlands and a spunky John Adames (the two dominant characters in the story), fine support from a good cast, no-frills direction by a most respected helmer, an uncluttered, ever-interesting screenplay that shows humanity and brutality for what they are, Fred Schuler’s eye-catching cinematography, credible production values, George C. Villaseñor’s noteworthy editing, a swinging musical score by Bill Conti and a memorable ending.

Minuses: none really.

Comments: among movie critics, GLORIA hasn’t scored as highly as other works by John Cassavetes − maybe because it’s more of an action film than one of his profound character studies − but it deserves to be seen and even admired. It’s a thrill to watch Gloria − who knows about mob culture − establish a reluctant and difficult relationship with little Phil, a bright boy in dire straits. Heartbreak, danger, irony and courage, this movie scores on all accounts. And, above all else, there’s Gena Rowlands. Gena, Gena, Gena… 

 

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