Reviews

This film tells the story of a Korean salaryman who after hitting a schoolgirl falls in love with her. She miraculously survives the accident without any marks or bruises. As the story gets further unraveled, the main character gets more and more attracted by this girl who slowly shows some supernatural powers. Apparently she can not cope with these and therefore the film ends in a dramatic way. Credits must be given to the actors who perform well. It is a shame though that the obvious, simple and predictable script fails to interest the viewer. The story develops in a linear way without surprising the public. Even though the director of photography did a good job, this film clearly shows that there can not be form without content.

As my predecessor explains in his comment, there is a lot of violence in this film and this is something I won't deny. In all Kitano's movies, there is a strong emphasis on visual effects including extreme violence but also breathtaking shots and slow filming. The motivation for this violence is to show the raw reality of the gangster society in Japan. The protagonist in all Kitano's movies is a (ex)yakuza who is fed up with life and does not tend to have a particular goal on earth. Paradoxally this doesn't mean he doesn't have any feelings. On the contrary while the end is always tragic, the main character always try to help other people out. This explains the double meaning of brother. The first one is related to the japanese word "Aniki" used amongst members of yakuza clans. The second one is related to the setting of this movie, Los Angeles, since it is used amongst african americans. Basically, this movie thus tells the story between a yakuza and a L.A. homeboy which ends in a tragic but beautiful way. Meanwhile we also get to know more about the Yakuza-culture. Important themes are loyalty, respect, sacrifice and friendship, which can also be found in traditional samurai movies. This movie is really worth seeing for the fact that it is sincere, beautiful, tragic and without pretentions. It might not be suited for everyone because of the explicit violence, but it is an essential part of the poetry of this film.

This film was shown as a premiere during a French cinema festival in Amsterdam. The summary in the guide said something about the film being similar to Pulp Fiction and John Long Stock & Two Smoking Barrels and that's how far I got reading.

You can imagine I didn't expect what I was going to see, but it amused me anyway. The humor is very black and very gory, so this is no movie for the faint-hearted ones. If you don't mind this, you can do nothing but laugh at the absurd, Funes-like situations caused by the main character. The plot is quite original and undergoes unexpected twists, which with the great special effects (both visual and aural) give the film a certain freshness. This did me remind of Pulp Fiction.

I was sitting with about ten people in the theater, but I can assure we had the time of our lives, laughing at the absurd but funny atrocities throughout the film!

A short but descriptive comment: although the story sucks and the screenplay is lousy, John Woo

saves the movie with his incredible slow-motion action shots and

symbolism. This is reason enough for seeing the movie.

This is the film I always heard people talk about but never saw.

Until now. I must say, it does fulfil my expectations. It has been

brilliantly directed, the actors have done a wonderful job and

the story is perfect. I recommend it to everybody.

But... yes there is a but, I thought it just missed a little

something. That's the reason I gave it a 9 instead of a 10. This

film is a product of craftmanship, but it isn't art. And this is

what makes a film truly great. Everything has been put in the

right place, but it misses some originality, some magic touch.

It's a brilliant movie, but it doesn't compare to other movies

like American Beauty or American History X, which truly change

your way of thinking.

This movie has no story, no plot and no development. It just gives the viewer a picture of a white trash town in the middle of nowhere. The most remarkable thing about this movie is that you don't know if the characters are actors or just playing themselves. I guess it's a combination of both. Nevertheless, it's gives a 100% convincing impression of brainless, creepy rednecks who do things like killing cats, beating furniture up, have sex with mental cases, etc. Creepier and freakier than anything I seen in my life

To be honest, I haven't seen a lot of Dutch films in my live.

Here in Holland, it appears like Dutch films aren't very appreciated. They tend to be long, symbolic and boring. None of these characteristics apply to this new movie though! It's a police thriller about a freshman police guy (Cas Jansen) who gets involved in a 'leak' affair and has no idea how to get out of this. No real original story here, but it is enjoyable. I found the supporting actors more interesting. Cas' criminal friend 'Sjakie' is played remarkably well and Cas' partner, Thomas Acda, gives the film a touch of humor. All in all, I enjoyed this movie a lot although it doesn't compare to Hollywood-counterparts, but can you ask this from a Dutch

Being half Japanese, but never having visited any other Asian places like Hong Kong, I nevertheless saw a lot of similarities between the two cultures. Take for example the energy of millions of people living next to each other. This is something I saw in Tokyo and which I recognized in this movie as well. This energy, together with the typical asian summerheat, is felt throughout the whole movie and made me both unease as well as more alert. It gives you the sense anything can happen and you have to watch out. This has everything to do with this movie, since it depicts Hongkong as a jungle where only the fittest survive. Fittest in this context means ruthless and not caring for others. The main character, a teenager and gangmember, does just this and this will prove to be fatal to him. He protects a mentally handicapped boy and falls in love with an terminally ill girl and he even offers her his kidney (which she refuses). Another similarity between the Hongkong and Japanese culture that I noticed, is the innocence and spontaneity with which the young Asians act. Europeans tend to be more serious and worry about life, whereas these guys just have fun and enjoy the moment, 'carpe diem'. This motive contrasts with the more tragic moments in the movie. Life is just like that though; it's bitter