One of Hanabi’s strong points is that it relies far more on characters, visuals, and atmosphere than on plot. The plot is there, but the characters fuel and direct it. Detective Nishi (Beat Takeshi) is a quiet, seemingly emotionless, man with a dying wife (Kayoko Kishimoto) and recently deceased daughter. His life is awful, and everyone around him knows it. In spite of, or perhaps because of, his personal troubles, he also has a very violent streak. As Nishi’s good friend Nakamura (Susumu Terajima) explains, Nishi could always quiet down his partner, Horibe (Ren Osugi), when Horibe got angry, but when Nishi got angry hope was lost. Horibe, now off of the force because he lost control of his legs due to a seemingly random shooting, is a depressed soul who spends much of his time sitting in his wheelchair staring at the beauty of the world. His wife and child left him after he returned home disabled, and his heart is a mix of disdain and remorse over loosing them. He dreams of painting in his free time, and using art work as a means of alleviating all of his mental and emotional burdens. These works of art, all original paintings by Takeshi, are really amazing. Like the painting he did for the end of Battle Royale, it’s a mix between comic and realism that create things of a style I’ve never seen done by anyone else. Many of them are abstract by making flowers take the place of eyes, heads, or other body parts. Nishi is aware of Horibe’s artistic dreams and so, as a means to enjoy a long trip with his wife, help out Horibe, pay off debts to the yakuza, and help out the wife (Yuuko Daike) of another officer with whom Nishi had worked (Makoto Ashikawa), he develops an elaborate scheme to rob a bank. The actual robbery goes down beautifully, and Nishi drives away undetected in a police car. Money arrives for the widow; art supplies arrive for Horibe; Nishi and his wife go off to allow her all the experiences she can have before she passes away. This vacation of sorts provides no escape from Nishi’s violent nature, and it is stained at many points with the blood of yakuza and random fools who mess up his plans. This all culminates in one of the best endings I’ve ever seen.

As Takeshi Kitano says in an interview regarding Battle Royale, thank god Kinji Fukasaku didn’t direct Violent Cop. Had he, we would never be able to experience this moving cinematic gem. Hanabi’s direction is truly awe-inspiring. From long, steady takes that make characters, colors, and emotions, rather than editing, the primary focus to epic, slow moving crane shots used expertly Hanabi’s direction is deliberate and spellbinding. His most effective and stylish shots are those that come directly from above, particularly in the scene of the confrontation between Nishi’s fellow officers and Horibe’s assassin. Keep in mind, though, this is about as far away from the fully Americanized direction of Ridley Scott and far closer to the slow, truly artistic styles of Hitchcock, Kurosawa, or Kubrick.

The performances in the film are every bit as amazing. Beat Takeshi plays the same role he usually does, but in this film it is at its most impressive. His closed off, brutal, somewhat sarcastic nature has its most believable motivation here. Ren Osugi, who’s in almost every Yakuza film (including many from Takashi Miike), also gives what may be his best performance. From average, well intentioned cop to a man fully dead on the inside, he is always believable and far easier to care for than any one else in the film.

Joe Hisayashi, who also scored Kitano’s Brother and Kikujiro, has created a score that more than deserves mention. When Kitano decides to break the silence with music, it’s always music of a grand nature that is never too big for its own good. It engulfs the viewer, but it engulfs them within the story, characters, and emotions, not just the superficial score. Aside from that, it’s one of the most beautiful and haunting scores ever composed for film.

If you like Beat Takeshi at all, you must see this film. Even if you don’t, even if you hate action films, Hanabi is a must see. It isn’t an action film at heart – it takes the basics of one and twists them into a painfully real and tender drama. This film, rightly, has won the praise of critics around the globe and awards at various major film festivals. If you’re a fan of Japanese cinema, then you’ve heard the hype surrounding it. When you see it, you will not be disappointed.

Kitano plays Nishi, a cop who's forced to take extreme measures to ensure that his dying wife enjoys her last days, while his partner is searching for reasons to live after he gets incapacitated in a shooting.

*SPOILERS*

If I was any better at analyzing films, I'd write some stuff about how this film deals with typical Kitano themes of alienation and emotional detachment. However, I am dreadful at trying to analyze films, so I'll keep it very short. Anyways, what I first noticed about the film was that unlike other Kitano films which are mostly about one character, this is essentially a tale of two similiar people, one of them manages to survive while the other's decisions put him in a dead end. Horibe manages to find meaning to his life and resists the urge to end his misery. Nishi's actions on the otherhand make his demise unavoidable, and it's easy to see from the beginning that his story can't have a happy ending, as the consequences of his actions will inevitably reach him. Depending on one's viewpoint obviously. It might be argued that instead of being forced to use extreme measures, Nishi considered them to be perfectly acceptable, as he had intended to end his life at the same time as his wife no matter what (actually, this is the way I assume Kitano meant it).

One of my favorite things about this film was the relationship between Nishi and his wife. When I first saw the film, I felt like their marriage had died to the point where they couldn't find really anything to say to eachother, and could only communicate by actions. However, it seems more like they have both been so deeply affected by a tragedy (it's revealed that their daughter had died), that they're both inhabiting a shared little world where few words are needed.

Ok, enough with the crappy film analysis now, here are my opinions on the actual film: Definately one of Kitano's best films. Maybe even his finest film, as Hana-Bi is alot more refined than Sonatine, but on the other hand, it lacks some of pitchblack humour and brutality of his earlier works. Nevermind about that though, and just see this.

The movie: Detective Nishi (Kitano) is a silent man, a broken cop. While Nishi is away, by the side of his terminally ill wife, his partner is ruthlessly gunned down during a stakeout. The wounds leave his partner confined to a wheelchair and without the continued will to live. Nishi blames himself for not being there, and stoically determines to kill the punk responsible. And in the flick's most brutal scene, he does -- and then some -- emptying his service revolver into the kid's head. But there is no relief as ANOTHER officer is killed in this encounter, which Nishi also accepts blame. He quits the force to attend to his wife, his fallen comrade, and somehow manages to become indebted to gangster loansharks. It's how he chooses to deal with all these life crises that makes the story powerful -- both grim and hopeful -- explosive and tranquil.

Notables: No breasts. Nine corpses. Chopsticks to the eye socket. Rock skipping. Bank robbery. Gratuitous card trick scene. Vase to the brainpan. Multiple beatings.

Quotables: Nothing too amusing in the subtitles.

Time codes: Two guys in crazy wooden shoes play catch (5:17). Breath-taking gun fight in a shopping mall (33:00). Nishi doesn't like high-interest loans (1:23:30).

Audio/Video: Presented in its original widescreen (1.85:1) format. The print is clean, but there is a subtle flaw, as weird digital blurring sometimes occurs as actors move through scenes. Nice Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track -- however the film's strength is its LACK of sound during intensely violent scenes. In Japanese with English subtitles.

Extras: The scene selections are divided into five categories, each with an available interview segment with Kitano. All of the artwork featured in the film was created by the director, who discovered his talent while recovering from a devastating motorcycle accident, and the disc features a gallery of these works with their corresponding scenes and notes by Kitano. Behind-the-scenes featurette that stands in stark contrast to the flick's tone -- it's so strange to see the cast and crew laughing and having such a good time. Both the Japanese and American trailers.

Final thought: The art-house crowd's answer to a Chuck Bronson vengeance picture. Brutal AND sensitive -- maybe too introspective for some. Recommended.

Directed by "Beat" Takeshi Kitano (who also wrote and edited the film, and is the star), "Hana-Bi" has had gobs and gobs of praise heaped upon it. Why, I don't know. Critics have praised his movies, using words like "heartstopping" and "thrilling." Those words couldn't be further from the truth. As I said, there are scenes that are certainly wrenching, visually and emotionally. But they are few and far between.

Takeshi himself is the film's greatest strength and its greatest weakness. The guy doesn't really act. He kind of just sits there, like he was carved with stone, letting the camera focus on him. In the slower scenes, it's simply unnerving to watch this man who shows less emotion than Mr. Spock. But at other times, it's captivating to watch because you just have to wonder what emotions are seething behind those sunglasses and that iron facade.

Takeshi plays Nishi, a former cop whose life has fallen to pieces. His only child died at a young age, his wife is currently dying from cancer, and his partner and friend has been shot and paralyzed because of him. He also has dealings with the Yakuza, raking up debts. However, none of this seems to bother him at first; he seems so utterly wrapped up in his thoughts that no expressions come through. Perhaps we're supposed to believe that, as a tough cop, he's built up all of these walls around him and the film consists of him slowly lowering those walls as he must deal with the tragedies around him. As Nishi, Takeshi does this perfectly. Again, in some scenes it works wonderfully, because we're just left to wait for Nishi to explode in some outburst or reaction (which he does). But other times, he just comes across as insensitive, the stony facade hindering rather than helping the film.

If you were to read the movie's sleeve, the compliments heaped on Takeshi's use of violence would make you think that this guy's the next John Woo. This is not the case. True, Takeshi uses shocking scenese of violence, but they don't have Woo's choreography. Instead, the outbursts of violence are just that, outbursts. Even though you know they're coming, you're suprised when they happen. A great deal of this has to do with Takeshi's stony exterior. Any show of emotion or action comes as a surprise. In fact, the violence almost seems surreal because of it's rarity and suddenness. And as soon as its done, the stony exterior slips right back into place.

In order to deal with his current situation, Nishi robs a bank, pays off his debts, and takes his wife on a trip into the countryside. Here, the film shifts mood. Whereas before it'd been an urban cop flick, here it takes a slightly more pastoral feel, and often throws in a lighter, comedic touch. Of course, the violence is still there, as Nishi's Yakuza dealings slowly catch up to him. The ending seems incredibly unavoidable, because if you're a careful viewer, you'll be able to catch all of the visual clues. A big one is provided by Nishi's former partner, who has now become an artist and whose works often serve as seques.

One thing I do like is the fact that is a "visual" film. Takeshi keeps dialog to a bare minimum, though Joe Hisaishi's score is excellent and often underpins the scenes better than any dialog could. Nishi barely speaks, and Nishi's wife doesn't say anything until the end. Instead, we have to pay attention to the film and the visuals that Takeshi uses in order to know what's going on. Scenes often seem incomplete, so we have to fill in the gaps with what we've previously seen, or are about to see. The first half of the film is presented in a non-linear pattern that barely holds together and often makes no sense at first. As Nishi and his wife go into the countryside, the film becomes more linear, which works as we begin to see Nishi open up towards his wife. Interspersed are scenes of Nishi's former partner coming to terms with his paralysis and loneliness by turning to art. At times, however, the use of these scenes seems out of place, as a visual counterpart to Nishi that doesn't always work.

Part of me really wants to like this film, to find it meaningful on some level. Is it a comment on self-destruction and personal demons or is it just a cop flick trying to become philosophical, a thinking man's "heroic bloodshed" film? Honestly, I can't decide. I do think this is a better film than Takeshi's previous work "Sonatine" (which, for some reason, was billed as the Japanese "Goodfellas"). "Hana-Bi" feels and looks better, though I must admit that I still feel underwhelmed as to why everyone praises Takeshi so much. Parts of this film really work for me, and though rare, Takeshi's use of violence is often quite visceral and thrilling to watch. But a good deal of the film just seems to not work, and I'm only going to spend so much time trying to look for hidden meaning and deep content before I realize it just isn't there, or simply wasn't delivered well.