Hana-bi (1997)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Takeshi Kitano

Writer:

Takeshi Kitano (written by)

Release Date:

20 March 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

Nishi is a cop whose wife is slowly dying of Leukemia. One of his partners gets shot on the job and...

Plot Keywords:

Leukemia | Guilt | Police | Gangster | Suicide

Awards:

21 wins & 16 nominations

Cast

Takeshi Kitano	...	Yoshitaka Nishi (as 'Beat' Takeshi)
Kayoko Kishimoto	...	Miyuki, Nishi's wife
Ren Osugi	...	Horibe
Susumu Terajima	...	Nakamura
Tetsu Watanabe	...	Tesuka
Hakuryu	...	Yakuza Hitman
Yasuei Yakushiji	...	Criminal
Taro Istumi	...	Kudo
Kenichi Yajima	...	Doctor
Makoto Ashikawa	...	Tanaka
Yuuko Daike	...	Tanaka's widow
Edamame Tsumami	...	Businessman Throwing Rocks
Yûrei Yanagi	...	Chef #1
Sujitarou Tamabukuro	...	Chef #2
Tokio Seki	...	Old Hick
Motoharu Tamura	...	Chief Detective
Hitoshi Nishizawa	...	Yakuza Head
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Setchin Kawaya	...	Male Bank Customer #3
Shoko Kitano	...	Girl Who Flies Kite (as Shoko Matsuda)
Kiyoko Kitazawa	...	Nurse B
Takayuki Konishi	...	Detective B
Rinko Morikawa
Yoshiyuki Morishita	...	Hoodlum B
Shûji Ôtsuki
Kanji Tsuda
Keiko Yamamoto	...	Nurse A

Directed by
Takeshi Kitano

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Takeshi Kitano		written by

Produced by
Kazuhiro Furukawa	....	co-producer
Hiroshi Ishikawa	....	co-producer
Kouichi Miyagawa	....	associate producer
Masayuki Mori	....	producer
Hideto Osawa	....	associate producer
Yasushi Tsuge	....	producer
Shigeru Watanabe	....	associate producer
Yoshito Yamazaki	....	line producer
Takio Yoshida	....	producer

Original Music by
Joe Hisaishi

Cinematography by
Hideo Yamamoto

Film Editing by
Takeshi Kitano
Yoshinori Oota

Art Direction by
Norihiro Isoda

Set Decoration by
Tatsuo Ozeki

Costume Design by
Masami Saito

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Hiroshi Shimizu	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Senji Horiuchi	....	sound
Akira Nakano	....	sound recordist

Camera and Electrical Department
Hitoshi Takaya	....	gaffer

Music Department
Suminobu Hamada	....	music mixer
Shinichi Tanaka	....	music mixer

Production Companies

• Bandai Visual Company
• Office Kitano
• TV Tokyo
• Tokyo FM Broadcasting Co.

Distributors

• Sandrew Film & Teater (1998) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Asociace Ceských Filmových Klubu (ACFK) (Czech Republic)
• Atalanta Filmes (Portugal)
• Channel Neko (2007) (Japan) (TV)
• Dendy Films
• Gativideo (Argentina) (VHS)
• Herald Film Company (Japan)
• Líder Films (Argentina)
• Madman Entertainment (2002) (New Zealand) (all media)
• Madman Entertainment (2003) (Australia) (DVD)
• Maywin Media (CIS)
• Maywin Media (Estonia)
• Maywin Media (Latvia)
• Maywin Media (Lithuania)
• Milestone (1998) (USA) (subtitled)
• Momentum Pictures (2001) (UK) (all media)
• Prem'er Video Fil'm (Russia) (VHS)
• Sandrew Film & Teater (1998) (Sweden) (VHS)
• Shu Kei's Creative Workshop Ltd. (Hong Kong)
• Slovenska Kinoteka (2005) (Slovenia) (all media)
• Warner Bros. Finland (Finland)

Other Companies

• Aoi Studio  
• Big Shot  
• Carstunt Taka  
• Continental Far East  Dolby consultant
• Daiichi Isho  
• Ito Jidosha  
• K&L  
• Keihan Shoukai  
• Kodak Japan  
• NAC Image Technology  camera equipment supplied by
• Nicker Colour  art cooperation
• Nikkatsu Studio  
• Nippon Shomei  
• Oshitani Lighting Service  
• P2  
• Popeye Art  
• Takatsu Soshyoku Bijutsu  
• Tokyo Genzosho  
• Wonder City  
• Yoshikawa Casting Office  casting

Also Known As:

Fireworks (International: English title)
Hana-Bi (UK)

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

New Zealand:R18 | Iceland:16 | France:U | Czech Republic:12 | Brazil:16 | Israel:16 | South Africa:16 | Hungary:16 | Austria:16 | Ireland:18 | Mexico:B15 | Italy:T | Poland:18 | Iran:18+ | Romania:I.C.-14 | Taiwan:PG-12 | USA:R (cut) | Spain:18 | Argentina:16 | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Japan:R-15 | Norway:18 | Peru:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:R(A) | South Korea:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | Australia:MA

Company:

Bandai Visual Company

Trivia:

Girl playing with kite, featured in the final scenes of the film is Takeshi Kitano's real-life daughter, Shoko Kitano.

Quotes:

Yoshitaka Nishi: Next time, I'll kill you.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Cure (1997)

One of the Best Drama's Anywhere.

It took at least three repeat viewings of this film before I felt I was ready to review it here on IMDB. The first time I played the DVD I felt a strange sense of detachment as I tried to absorb what had been played out before me.

Kitano plays a detective with huge burdens on his shoulders. His wife, Miyuki) is dying from cancer, a trusted partner & friend (Horibe) is in a wheelchair with nothing to occupy his mind other than to paint landscapes & think about suicide now that his wife & family have deserted him. And to cap it all during an undercover operation headed by Kitano a young detective (Tanaka) is mortally shot & killed because of a blunder on Kitano's part.

Having been subsequently kicked out of the policeforce, Kitano has to cope not only with the loss his job (and income) but to come to terms with his guilt regarding the dead detective, Tanaka, his emotional feelings & absent love for Miyuki as she sees out her last few weeks. And finally, Kitano has a great deal of sympathy & loyalty to his former partner & friend crippled in a wheelchair.

In typical Kitano fashion he decides to rob a bank, pay off his debts to the local Yakuza warlords and spend the rest of the money on his crippled friend, Horibe; Tanaka's young widow and Kitano's dying wife.

Being a big fan of Kitano I wasn't disappointed by the style of the movie. His directional trademarks are visible through most of his films: flowers, beach scenes, picturesque landscapes, beautiful & haunting music (by the ever dependable Jo Hisaishi); face-to-camera shots and of course a sense of helplessness & defeatism within the lead actors themselves.

But what I wasn't quite prepared for was the melodrama & pathos the film revealed to me. Unlike most of his other "gangster/police" movies such as Brother, Sonatine & Violent Cop, the violence seems secondary to the moving, sometimes harrowing scenes of Kitano & Miyuki holidaying together, trying to relive some of their past love & passion for each but only to find there is nothing but loss & grief.

Kitano shows a great range of emotions in this film: from being a tough & very unforgiving man with his dealings with the Yakuza (the violence is sharp, sudden & very graphic). While at other times he is a man totally lost in a world of sorrow & pity, a man who finds it hard to grieve, to own up to his mistakes & guilt, a man who only now realises how much he will miss his wife after spending so many years staying away & not appreciating her needs whilst doing his job in the police.

The ending is absolutely gut-wrenching, but to be honest it was of no real surprise since there are similar outcomes in most of Kitano's films, especially Violent Cop & Sonatine.

The cinematography is absolutely outstanding, coupled with the haunting score of Jo Hisaishi (who also did the score for my favourite Kitano film, Sonatine). Kitano's direction is also beautifully paced with very tight editing & not a single shot is wasted.

The acting as well, is top drawer. Nothing needs to be said about Kitano's performance because it is that good. But the support from Kayoko Kishimoto (Miyuki), Ren Osugi (Horibe) & Yûko Daike (Tanaka's widow) is truly excellent and never weighs the movie down with too much manufactured & false melodrama so typical of Hollywood (especially movies starring Robin Williams).

As I said at the beginning of this review I had to see this film at least three times before I felt compelled to write about it, such is the power & strength within this film. Kitano's humanity is very redeeming & reveals to our Western eyes the true values of Japanese tradition & family relationships, especially with regards loyalty, friendship, love & coming to terms with one's guilt.

I recommend this film to anyone who takes an interest in movies of this kind. It may appear to drag at times, and some of the shots seems uneven & redundant on first viewing. But give it a chance because after about the second or third view more & more of the film's inner strengths will brim to the surface leaving you aghast & begging for more.

*****/*****