Sonatine
Takeshi Kitano / JP, 1993 / 92 min.
Yakuza boss Murakawa, one of the most violent gangsters in Tokyo, retreats with his men to a hiding place by the sea. Here they kill time with absurd, deadly games. Kitano achieves an astonishing feat of stoical acting and presents the story in clear, balanced images.
A large part of Sonatine is set in a seaside refuge for gangster Murakama and his henchmen. In beautifully stylised scenes, we see the world through Murakama’s jaded eyes. The stunning beach and turquoise sea could be an idyll, were it not for the deadly violence that may be hiding just around every corner.
Details
Director
Takeshi Kitano
Production year
1993
Country
JP
Original title
Sonatine
Length
92 min.
Language
Japanese
Subtitles
NLD
Format
35mm
Part of
Shochiku 100
Yasujiro Ozu, Masaki Kobayashi, Takeshi Kitano: the masters of Japanese cinema. But did you know that their work was made possible by Shochiku? In 2022 Eye is marking over one hundred years of one of Japan’s oldest, and largest, film companies.
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