Takeshis' (2005)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Takeshi Kitano

Writer:

Takeshi Kitano (written by)

Release Date:

5 November 2005 (Japan)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Actor | Directed By Star | Surrealism | Blood | Woman Shot

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

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

Also Known As:

Fractal (Japan) (working title)

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:18A | Singapore:M18 | Australia:MA (2007) | Hong Kong:IIB | Japan:R-18 | South Korea:18

Filming Locations:

Tokyo, Japan

Company:

Bandai Visual Company

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.

Quotes:

[when Kitano asks Beat Takeshi for his autograph]
Kitano: Could you write "To Mr. Kitano?"
Beat Takeshi: The same surname as mine?

Movie Connections:

References "Shakugan no Shana" (2005)

A two-in-one brainwash from Takeshi

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?