Brother (I) (2000)

A Japanese gangster is exiled to Los Angeles where his brother lives with a small but respectable multi-racial gang, who he inspires to expand their influence.

Director:

Takeshi Kitano

Writer:

Takeshi Kitano

Stars:

Takeshi Kitano, Omar Epps, Claude Maki

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Takeshi Kitano	...	Aniki Yamamoto (as 'Beat' Takeshi)
Omar Epps	...	Denny
Claude Maki	...	Ken
Masaya Katô	...	Shirase
Susumu Terajima	...	Kato
Royale Watkins	...	Jay
Lombardo Boyar	...	Mo
Ren Ohsugi	...	Harada
Ryo Ishibashi	...	Ishihara
James Shigeta	...	Sugimoto
Tatyana Ali	...	Latifa
Makoto Ohtake	...	Chief of Police
Kôen Okumura	...	Hanaoka
Naomasa Musaka	...	Hisamatsu
Rino Katase	...	Night Club Madame

Storyline

A Japanese Yakuza gangster is exiled to the United States. Takeshi settles in Los Angeles where his younger, half brother lives and finds that although the turf is new, the rules are still the same as they try to take over the local drug trade.

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Plot Keywords:

gangster | gang | yakuza | police corruption | restaurant | 

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Taglines:

The one guy you trust to get your back when a whole city's trying to put a bullet in it.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive strong violence, language and brief nudity

Details

Official Sites:

BAC Films [fr] (english / japanese / french) OFFICE KITANO INC. [jp] (japanese, english)

Country:

USA UK Japan

Language:

English Japanese Italian Spanish

Release Date:

27 January 2001 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Adelfos ex aimatos

Filming Locations:

Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$60,029 (USA) (20 July 2001)

Gross:

$447,750 (USA) (28 September 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Recorded Picture Company (RPC), Office Kitano, Bandai Visual Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The dead bodies found in the headquarters (toward the end of the film) are arranged in the Japanese symbol (kanji), it a Chinese word means die.

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Goofs

Ken takes the photo of the potential blackmail victim with his right hand while his left hand is on the table. In the close-up he's holding it with both hands, and then he returns the picture with his right hand while his left hand is on the table again.

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Quotes

Aniki Yamamoto: I understand "fucking Jap," asshole!

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Connections

Featured in Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)

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Soundtracks

"Casta Diva che inargenti"
from "Norma"
Music by Vincenzo Bellini
Words by Felice Romani

User Reviews

Very enjoyable (a quick review)

Normally I like to give more detail in a review, but this is a quick one.

I enjoyed this movie a lot. I'm not entirely sure why. I think mostly it was just plain fun. 'Beat' Takeshi was just brilliant in the role of Aniki. It's a sign of a great actor when he can command your attention without really doing anything.

I loved its thoughtful pace and purpose, and how there was a real symmetry in the story. In terms of introduction of the characters and their interactions, the story closes in reverse really nicely. I won't say much more, as I don't want to spoil it; it's not major, just nicely done.

All in all, I highly recommend it. It's quite violent at times, but if you're okay with that (and hell, perhaps even like it in a Kill Bill kind of way) then definitely check this out.