Sonatine

Starring:Romu Kanda, Masanobu Katsumura, Houka Kinoshita, Aya Kokumai, Eiji Minakata, Yuuki Natsusaka, Ren Osugi, Susumu Terajima, Kanji Tsuda, Tetsu Watanabe, Kenichi Yajima, Kanta Yamazaki, Tonbo Zushi
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

lack of the depth and profoundness of those original 26 movies
Zatoichi...
ONE GOOD BLOODY SAMURAI FLICK WITH A NOT SO GOOD BONUS
more swordsman than blind
A two for one knock out combo

Zatoichi /Sonatine Double Bill
Starring: Tadanobu Asano , Makoto Ashikawa , Yuuko Daike , Akira Emoto , and Hideboh
Director: Takeshi Kitano
Manufacturer: Miramax
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0002W4TOO
Release Date: 2004-11-09

Description

ZATOICHI: THE BLIND SWORDSMAN stars Japanese screen legend Beat Takeshi in an action-packed, award-winning film that has been compared to "Kill Bill Volume One." SONATINE also stars Beat Takeshi in a fast and furious gangland thriller with an edgy "Pulp Fiction" attitude. Both of these films include bonus DVD features, including an introduction to SONATINE by Quentin Tarantino, acclaimed director of such film favorites as "Pulp Fiction" and "Kill Bill" Volumes One and Two.

Customer Reviews:

lack of the depth and profoundness of those original 26 movies.......2007-04-02

what made the original 26 zatoishi movies as one of the best creations in japanese movie history was its profoundness, the depth of a blind wandering swordsman, often lonely but inevitably beloved by some beautiful young women, usually giving you a helpless, melancholy, nostalgic romantic broken dream. the original zatoishi movies were also having the integrity of solid screenplays, fantastic directing, wonderful settings, perfect supporting performance, amazing fighting scenes and sequences, seamlessly perfected editings....from the first two black and white ones to the other 24 colored ones, none of them was never seriously produced. and best of all, shintaro played the zatoishi role almost seamlessly perfect that oscar or any other kind of film festivals would suffice enough to honor him.
i just don't know and don't see why and how this new addition would be necessary in any way. why suddenly the great zatoishi blind swordman became an overly ruthless, heartless, and cunning mobster, a stereotyped trademark of an vicious yakuza killer instead of guardian angel of the helpless common people? the original zatoichi never drew his sword first, never chopped people down or apart if it's not the last resort to stop a killing. he never chopped off a dice dealer's arm simply because he played trick with replaced funny dices. why this zatoichi was so bloody and so pointlessly gory gross?
furthermore, this zatoichi had so many long and unnecessary scenes that should be deleted in editing, yet never did so. why? because if deleted them, the movie would have become too short, nothing but a shell. because the screenplay was so hollow and contrite that needed to add lot of pointless scenes such those flashbacks of the sister and brother stuggles, how their family was destroyed by a bunch of mysterious bandits, the killings carried out by zatoichi, the struggle of the buddy guard, the compulsive gambler's doing some self training in front of his aunt's shack...on and on and the last long long dancing show. my goodness, what was that about? an american tic tac dance? an irish river dance? a hip hop rapper dance...or what? extended so long about 10 minutes. what's that all about? a celebration dancing festival? finally it's done?
and most ridiculous part was since when zatoichi was interested who would win, he or the body guard in a duel, the original zatoich would have cared less about that outcome. so this new version of zatoichi was a quite hollow and shallow one if compares to those originals. yes, the movie industry's technique maybe more modern, but if we failed to deliver a better and newer version and interpretation of this great legend and character in japanese samurai genre, we better not, shall we say: you don't need add crawling feet to a snake when trying to make a snake look more alive. it's totally unnecessary. kitano not only did a bad acting, he also did a very bad directing job.

Zatoichi..........2007-02-03

I'm a Beat Takeshi (Kitano) fan, what else can I say. The "man" does it again! I also agree with the others that, "If you don't like blood, don't see this film!" Five stars!

ONE GOOD BLOODY SAMURAI FLICK WITH A NOT SO GOOD BONUS.......2007-01-15

First, I have to mention that this is the first Zatoichi movie I see. I haven't seen the old ones. Now to the review. You have to watch this!!!!! For starters, if you like to see a lot of blood been spill, you love this. Now, the FX of the blood coming out of wounds are not so good, but who cares? You love gore, you will get gore. Zatoichi is blind swordsman, read carefully, he is not a samurai in the practical sense. But he as a amazing warrior. The movie hints that he is know all across Japan. Now, the fight scenes are amazing, but they last a few seconds (with a lot of blood coming out of the victims by the gallons, and arms been cut off) the longest one is like 40 seconds. If you know a little about real katanas, and real samurai fights, you should know that those didnt last long, so the movie keep it historically real (the fights, not the story of course). Ok, the movie. Those who have read my previews know that I dont tell much. Zatoichi is like Kenshin from Samurai X in the sense that he is a wanderer. If he come across an injustice, he tries to put things in order by helping those who can't help themselves. He arrives at this town, which is been terrorize by 2 rival gangs. The DP and the Sound guy, created this amazing world, of sound and sight. The stories move smoothly and engages you totally. This is one of those movies were you think it ended, and then it continues, and do the same like 3 or 4 times. And it fools you twice..well, three times. Is a surprise, so watch it and you'll understand. The only thing I think people wont like are near the end, were people are having a festival, and they are playing this tecno music and dancing modern dance. Ok, that is not funny. A movie from feudal Japan and they are playing and dancing tecno???? What the fu&^%? Then again, it was only after watching the extras that I got it. Is like a inside joke of the director, so you'll need to see those too. A warning, the big fight...probably will get most people angry...one of the surprises of the movie. Like always, I recommend to rent it before you buy it. But if you are a samurai fan, then go ahead and make yourself happy.
Now, the bonus, Sonatine. Is a boring movie. Not that I'm not use to the Kubrick style (long movie, few almost none dialog). Is that the movie is pointless. This guy who is a yakuza, wants to retire. And if you like mafia movies, you know that is a mistake. The movies moves slow. The only 2 redeeming quality is that it keeps you expecting more, and when they shoot some in the head they show it all, blood and everything. And for those breast lovers, there is a scene for you.

To end this. Zatoichi GREAT!, Sonatine, boring.

more swordsman than blind .......2006-11-09

I am about to finish the original Shintaro Katsu Zatoichi episodes from the 1962 black and white, the 1963 colored version to the 1989 episode.
Takeshi Kitano's Zatoichi just doesn't "cut" it. They made it worse by placing a low tech CGI bloodwork effect and having Kitano sport blonde hair instead of white. (dying one's hair blonde is unusual for an aged asian male...unless he plays an unusual character in a Kabuki). Shintaro Katsu was able to give life to Zatoichi through human emotion, love, humor, pain and a sense of destiny. Katsu's Zatoichi was wearing period accurate masseur's clothes or Kimono. On the other hand, Takeshi Kitano just played a blind old man who knows swordfighting. The latter's character was a bit 2 dimensional. It's also hard to tell what period Kitano's character was in. He was wearing modern pants in the movie and not a hakama but the other men in the movie were still wearing traditional gis, hakamas and the women wore kimonos.
It was also weird in the end that he was able to open his eyes seemingly reveal that he was not blind after all and yet his eyes were all black. If he's not blind then he can't be called the blind swordsman right?

A two for one knock out combo.......2006-11-03

I originally caught part of Zatoichi on tv late on night. After watching 20 min of the movie I was hooked. I loved everything from the comedic breaks with the gamblers to the beautifully choreographed fight scenes. It proves the point that sometimes less is really more. The movie also has a great sense of humor about it self, never taking things so seriously that it becomes terribly ridiculous. Capping it off with the dance at the end of the movie was just a nice bowtie on the whole package.

As for the second movie sonatine I found it enjoyable, but I'm not sure it translates as well across cultures. At times if felt like things were being shown that the audience was expected to have an imediate knowledge of, which often left me somewhat mystified. Still an enjoyable over the top kill fest, with salient moments of introspection.

These movies have convinced me to start digging for Takeshi Kitano movies when I can find them.

Average customer rating:

make sure you know what you're getting into
A great Takeshi movie about Japanese gansters
"I shoot fast because I get scared fast."
YOU DON'T WANT THIS EDITION
entertainment for the eye and the ear

Sonatine
Starring: Romu Kanda , Masanobu Katsumura , Houka Kinoshita , Aya Kokumai , and Eiji Minakata
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Violent Cop
Fireworks

ASIN: B0000DZ3CC
Release Date: 2004-01-13

Customer Reviews:

make sure you know what you're getting into.......2006-04-23

I got almost nothing out of this movie. I'd like to believe the guy who suggests that it's because I don't speak Japanese, but I don't think that's the problem. I've enjoyed lots of foreign films, including Zatoichi by the same director. This movie, however, I did not enjoy. All of the comparisons to The Godfather and Goodfellas are totally unwarranted, and I must say I wonder if the people making them are truly genuine, or just plants of some kind. There are parts of Sonatine that I enjoyed, but on the whole I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone. I will say that some of the acting is good, but as a whole the movie does not succeed.

A great Takeshi movie about Japanese gansters.......2005-11-11

Beat Takeshi tends to make movies with hard to follow storylines a generous use of montage, tableu,and a play on usual plot devices.

The story follows along the lines of a mid level gangster who has a run go bad. He escapes to the countryside to avoid his enemies, who later come after him.

This is a movie perfect for fans of crime and gangster films with a conscience. Think of this as the Japanese equivalent to The Killer, Goodfellas, Layer Cake or Sexy Beast in that the main character is a gangster, but clearly has no love for the job. Simply put, it's something he is good at and does for a living, but not something done out of a love for the job. Of course, it's also about the sorts of situations a life of crime can get one forced into, and about how impossible it is to leave that life in a peaceful, social security collecting manner.

If you want to study organized crime a little better, think Beat Takeshi makes a good movie, want to see some visually impressive shots of rural Japan or have a passion for gangster films, check out this largely unknown and underrated movie.

"I shoot fast because I get scared fast.".......2005-07-27

Slow as molasses. I saw this sitting in the action section. The front cover has "Beat" Takeshi pointing a gun. The back of the case says something about a violent yakuza gang war, so naturally I assumed this was an action movie.

I go home slap it in the ol' player and what do I get? Scene after long drawn out scene of guys not even talking just standing around staring at nothing then when they finally talk it's almost like it hurts them. There was the occasional gun fired but they sounded like cheap cap guns.

I guess I'm an idiot for not seeing the underlying conflict, symbolism, etc that the art house snobs see, but when I think of action movies I think of violence, explosions and bloodshed not 90 second uninterrupted shots of some guy with his head crooked staring at the ocean.

YOU DON'T WANT THIS EDITION.......2004-12-22

Guys, I don't know why this version here is so pricey. If you're looking for a good version of Sonatine to buy, get the Zaitochi/Sonatine double feature DVD. It's great and a lot cheaper! I found mine at a W**-mart. Hope this was helpful.

entertainment for the eye and the ear.......2004-11-14

Sonatine can get quite a few prizes just for the music. Even the silence matches the music. The photography is classical and the canvases are poetic. Sometimes you forget that you are watching a gang war movie rather you will feel that you are watching an extremely romantic movie. Takeshi Kitano is just an amazing actor. Cinematography and frame design is comparable Kurosawa.
Takeshi Kitano is a renegade gang leader who is trying to save his own life from his mob boss. Most of the movie is in a location where he is hiding along with 4 of his cohorts.
If you do not understand Japanese then you will miss out since it is very difficult to do correct translation of Japanese words. You get a translation but you do not get the connotations.
As a whole this is a highly exciting movie. I will not recommend
it for kids since it has too much blood and violence.

Average customer rating:

make sure you know what you're getting into
A great Takeshi movie about Japanese gansters
"I shoot fast because I get scared fast."
YOU DON'T WANT THIS EDITION
entertainment for the eye and the ear

Sonatine [Region 2]

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Violent Cop
Fireworks

ASIN: B000063KMR

Customer Reviews:

make sure you know what you're getting into.......2006-04-23

A great Takeshi movie about Japanese gansters.......2005-11-11

"I shoot fast because I get scared fast.".......2005-07-27

YOU DON'T WANT THIS EDITION.......2004-12-22

entertainment for the eye and the ear.......2004-11-14

Sonatine [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.4 Import - Australia ]

Average customer rating:

Sonatine [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.4 Import - Australia ]
Director: Takeshi Kitano
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
ASIN: B000A8IDHO

Product Description

Australia released, PAL/Region 4 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. Languages: o English (subtitles) o Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0) Synopsis: Acclaimed Japanese filmmaker, comedian, television star, author, and all-around renaissance man Takeshi "Beat" Kitano stars in this unconventional take on the crime drama. Kitano portrays Murakawa, a successful Yakuza officer who has grown weary of the violent life, so much so that he has even considered retirement. Thus, he is not pleased when he is asked to lead a team to help defuse a gang war in Okinawa but agrees when he is assured it will be an easy job. It proves anything but, however, and he soon finds himself in the middle of a complex, bloody conflict. Fearing that he has been set up, Murakawa withdraws to a nearby coastal town. The film takes a trademark Kitano turn at this point, moving away from the standard crime drama plot to focus on what amounts to a gangster's summer vacation, with the killers playing frisbee on the beach and taking dancing lessons. Murakawa even finds a summer romance, falling in love with a local girl who is impressed by his way with a gun. This sunny idyll cannot last forever, however, and soon the realities of the criminal life catch up with them. Seen as a prime example of Kitano's style, Sonatine features a combination of deadpan comedy and unexpectedly romantic lyricism, periodically interrupted by shockingly sudden bursts of violence. Special Features: o Biographies o Filmographies o Interactive Menu o Photo Gallery o Scene Access o Trailer(s)

Average customer rating:

Sonatine
Starring: Sonatine
Manufacturer: Phantom
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0002JC61U
Release Date: 2003-08-12

Album Description

Asia exclusive release directed and starring Kitano Takeshi (Brother, Fireworks, Johnny Mnemonic) in 1993. VHS released in US by Quentin Tarantino's Rolling Thunder Label. A high level Yakuza (Japanese gangster) with his own turf, Murakawa and his men are asked by the Yakuza boss to mediate a dispute between rival gangs in Okinawa. Murakawa accepts, despite being both unhappy that he has to risk his men's life over a trivial matter, and pretty certain that the whole situation is a set-up. All Code / NTSC. Original Japanese dialogue/ optional English & Chinese subtitles. 2002.

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