SONATINE tells the story of gang boss Murakawa (Takeshi Kitano), who decides to consolidate his power as he approaches middle age. When his boss responds by assigning him to a peacekeeping mission in a town where a couple of the gang's provincial chapters are coming to blows, Murakawa is naturally suspicious. Is he being kicked upstairs--or kicked out? When he and his crew become the targets of a bloody ambush, the conclusion seems inescapable. A brutal indictment of the soul-crushing yakuza lifestyle.
Review 1:
"...The picture's sheer verve and originality are all its own..."
Source: Sight and Sound
p.54-5 05/01/1994
Review 2:
"...[A] stirring drama....Kitano has elegantly constructed an unsettling meditation on morality that is distinguished by his poetic vision..."
Source: Premiere
p.25 05/01/1998
Review 3:
"...SONATINE, which has a sensational, pulsating Jo Hisaishi score, has style to burn and a terrific cast..."
Source: Los Angeles Times
p.C10 04/10/1998
Review 4:
"...SONATINE is pure, minimal and clean in its lines..."
Source: Chicago Sun-Times
p.34 04/17/1998
Review 5:
"...Kitano's spare script and cool helming style are curiously involving..."
Source: Variety
06/07/1993
Review 6:
"...Kitano's haunting elegy to the gangster way of life....Gorgeous..."
Source: New York Times
p.E14 04/10/1998
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