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Sonatine

  • 1993
  • R
  • 1h 34m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
22K
YOUR RATING
Sonatine (1993)
Several yakuza from Tokyo are sent to Okinawa to help end a gang war. The war then escalates and the Tokyo drifters decide to lay low at the beach.
Play trailer0:53
1 Video
75 Photos
ActionComedyCrime

Several yakuza from Tokyo are sent to Okinawa to help end a gang war. The war then escalates and the Tokyo drifters decide to lay low at the beach.Several yakuza from Tokyo are sent to Okinawa to help end a gang war. The war then escalates and the Tokyo drifters decide to lay low at the beach.Several yakuza from Tokyo are sent to Okinawa to help end a gang war. The war then escalates and the Tokyo drifters decide to lay low at the beach.

  • Director
    • Takeshi Kitano
  • Writer
    • Takeshi Kitano
  • Stars
    • Takeshi Kitano
    • Aya Kokumai
    • Tetsu Watanabe
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.5/10
    22K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Takeshi Kitano
    • Writer
      • Takeshi Kitano
    • Stars
      • Takeshi Kitano
      • Aya Kokumai
      • Tetsu Watanabe
    • 93User reviews
    • 72Critic reviews
    • 73Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 4 wins & 1 nomination

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 0:53
    Watch Trailer

    Photos75

    Sonatine (1993)
    Sonatine (1993)
    Sonatine (1993)
    Sonatine (1993)
    Takeshi Kitano in Sonatine (1993)
    Sonatine (1993)
    Takeshi Kitano in Sonatine (1993)
    Takeshi Kitano in Sonatine (1993)
    Sonatine (1993)
    Takeshi Kitano, Masanobu Katsumura, and Susumu Terajima in Sonatine (1993)
    Sonatine (1993)
    Takeshi Kitano in Sonatine (1993)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Takeshi Kitano
    Takeshi Kitano
    • Aniki Murakawa
    Aya Kokumai
    • Miyuki
    Tetsu Watanabe
    Tetsu Watanabe
    • Uechi
    Masanobu Katsumura
    • Ryoji
    Susumu Terajima
    Susumu Terajima
    • Ken
    Ren Ôsugi
    Ren Ôsugi
    • Katagiri
    Koichi Kitamura
    • Hirose
    Yutaka Tomi
    • Okumura
    Takeshi Fukazawa
    • Sakai
    Yoshiyuki Morishita
    Yoshiyuki Morishita
    • Maeda (knife attacker)
    Yoichi Nagai
    • Ono
    Hiroshi Ando
    • Ito
    Kanji Tsuda
    Kanji Tsuda
    • Tsuda
    Kikuo Itô
    • Drug Addict
    Koji Koike
    • Nakamatsu
    Daigaku Sekine
    • Nakamatsu Member
    Kôta Mizumori
    • Kanemoto (Mahjong Shop Owner)
    Rome Kanda
    Rome Kanda
    • Rapist
    • Director
      • Takeshi Kitano
    • Writer
      • Takeshi Kitano
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Outrage Coda
    6.4
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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Quotes

      Miyuki: You're tough. I love tough guys.

      Aniki Murakawa: I wouldn't carry a gun if I were tough.

      Miyuki: You can shoot without a second thought.

      Aniki Murakawa: I shoot fast because I get scared fast.

      Miyuki: But you're not afraid of dying, are you?

      Aniki Murakawa: When you're scared all the time, you reach a point when you wish you were dead.

    • Crazy credits
      At the end of the closing credits, various shots of the beach that were taken a year or so later, are included.
    • Connections
      Featured in Century of Cinema: Nihon eiga no hyaku nen (1995)

    User reviews93

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    Unsentimental violence and playful boredom--a strange combination
    I'm not entirely sure what to make of this film--I suspect I need to view it at least once, and probably several more times before I can get a good hold on it. However, my inability to fully comprehend what "Sonatine" is about doesn't strike me as a flaw. Rather, the film is much more complicated than the usual gangster film.

    It begins with very unsentimentalized and nonglorified violence. People hit and kill each other and it isn't much different than toast popping out of the toaster. It is fast, moderately bloody, and there. Kitano doesn't seem to be interested in thrilling us with either the danger, grotesqueness, or thrill of violence--another, not clearly defined agenda is at work here.

    At perhaps a third of the way into the film, it makes a sudden transition from this gangster life to a period of forced inactivity. I suspect this section, which is delightfully playful, is at the heart of this film.
    helpful•19
    7
    • TheMrLee
    • Feb 11, 1999

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 10, 1998 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • Japan
    • Official site
      • Miramax
    • Language
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • 小奏鳴曲
    • Filming locations
      • Okinawa, Japan
    • Production companies
      • Bandai Visual Company
      • Shochiku
      • Yamada Right Vision Corporation
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $58,834
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $17,527
      • Apr 12, 1998
    • Gross worldwide
      • $58,834
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 34 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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