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Takeshis' (2005)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
5 November 2005 (Japan) moreTagline:
500% Kitano - nothing to add!Plot:
Beat Takeshi, a prominent actor, meets a lookalike named Kitano, who is a struggling actor, but after the meeting, Kitano's dreams take a violent, surreal turn. full summary | add synopsisAwards:
1 nomination moreUser Comments:
A two-in-one brainwash from Takeshi more (22 total)Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Takeshi Kitano | ... | Beat Takeshi / Mr. Kitano (as Beat Takeshi) | |
| Kotomi Kyôno | ... | Takeshi's Girl Friend / Kitano's Female Neighbor | |
| Kayoko Kishimoto | ... | Mahjong Parlor Woman / Audition Producer / Customer | |
| Ren Ôsugi | ... | Takeshi's Manager / Taxi Driver | |
| Susumu Terajima | ... | Takeshi's Friend / Kitano's Yakuza Neighbor | |
| Tetsu Watanabe | ... | TV Wardrobe Master / Noodle Cook / Audition Actor | |
| Akihiro Miwa | ... | Himself | |
| Naomasa Musaka | |||
| Kôichi Ueda | |||
| Tsutomu Takeshige | |||
| Beat Kiyoshi | |||
| Junya Takaki | ... | Himself | |
| Shôgo Kimura | |||
| Kanji Tsuda | |||
| Makoto Ashikawa |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
108 minCountry:
JapanLanguage:
JapaneseColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreSound Mix:
Dolby DigitalCertification:
Canada:18A | Singapore:M18 | Australia:MA (2007) | Hong Kong:IIB | Japan:R-18 | South Korea:18Filming Locations:
Tokyo, JapanFun Stuff
Trivia:
Kitano conceived the idea during the shooting of Sonatine (1993). Then called 'Fractals', the idea was to depict how an ordinary person's dreams would create an imaginative world, where the dream person's dream's would create another imaginative world and so on, going back and forth between his actions in reality and those in his imaginary worlds. The project was, for many reasons, put off throughout the years, until Kitano rewrote the storyline and made himself the protagonist. moreQuotes:
[when Kitano asks Beat Takeshi for his autograph]Kitano: Could you write "To Mr. Kitano?"
Beat Takeshi: The same surname as mine?
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This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (22 total)
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Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Takeshis' (2005)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
|---|---|
| Is this any good | guch18 |
| American soldiers? | Reiyou |
| UK release | Ecnerwal |
| Is this ever going to be on DVD? | mgoodge-geo |
| Tadanobu Asano | hawly |
| Joe Hisaishi | xoubara86 |
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The story's simple enough. Two men, both called Takeshi, live in Tokyo. One is a well-known actor and one is an actor-wannabe who works in a convenience store. The two Takeshis are being played by the director of the movie Takeshi Kitano. It may sound a bit like "Being John Malcovich" but goes far beyond that.
Sure, the movie isn't for everyone but it's definitely interesting and at parts very visual and imaginative. It's without any doubt the most extreme Meta-movie I ever seen.
When a movie has many layers you usually describe it as a "deep" movie. Takeshis has an enormous amount of layers but most of them are paper thin, if not shallow. In the beginning you try to keep track of whether you're watching a dream or one of the two Takeshis reality. It turns out to be a futile task, especially after one caterpillar-scene too many (You'll know it when you see it).
Do remember that this is not "Memento". It's not really meant to make sense. OK, I've always been allergic to the popular urge to over-explain everything in movies but Takeshis might be a bit too far in the other extreme. A heady cocktail of randomness and logical short circuits but not more than most people experience under a good nights sleep, which is what this movie is all about. Dreams and dreams within dreams.
Please, watch Takeshis with an open mind. You either regard it as an aged directors milestone after a long and creative odyssey of ups and downs, much like Fellinis "8 ½", or you can look at it as an overstressed actors brain fart after too many crazy TV-shows and gangster movies.
It's a bumpy ride, it may be a bit too long, weird and garish but you might have a few laughs and at least you have something to talk about afterward. A bit like a theme-park then, isn't it?