'SONATINE': Movie of the month

Takeshi Kitano's cinematographic masterpiece that addresses his usual themes of honour and 'dignity-through-death' 

UTV World Movies, India's pioneering international movie channel brings to you the movie of the Month for May 09 -SONATINE. Acclaimed Japanese filmmaker, comedian, television star, author, and all-around renaissance man Takeshi "Beat" Kitano is the director, editor, writer and actor in this unconventional take on the crime and drama. Joe Hisaishi by a wonderful musical score sets off this sophisticated and beautifully constructed piece of artistry to perfection. 

Kitano has elegantly constructed an unsettling meditation on morality that is distinguished by his poetic vision. Though this movie depicts the lives of Japanese gangsters, Sonatine isn't just a typical Yakuza flick. Sure, the general plot elements are there (extortion, torture, double-crossing, and murder) but that's not all the movie's about. It's a heart warming tale of a veteran mobster Murakawa (Takeshi Kitano) who is sent on a mercy mission to restore order to a gang war that has erupted in Okinawa. Murakawa and his men soon discover that this assignment was nothing more than a hoax to get rid of him. Ambushed and abandoned, Murakawa and his cronies end up retreating to a beach house to await their next move. It is during these beach scenes that the film really shifts in tone. With a sense of whimsy virtually unheard of in this genre, the down-and-out Yakuza play a myriad of childish games with nothing but time on their hands to lighten up and enjoy themselves. From sumo wrestling to setting sand traps, from playing Frisbee to a chilling game of Russian roulette.  

Speaking about the film, Manasi Sapre, Programming Head, UTV World Movies said "Takeshi "Beat" Kitano is one of the most original, unusual and trendsetting filmmakers. His heady mixture of bizarre narratives, aesthetic violence and lyrical treatment is seen to be believed. Kitano is one of the most well known names of the Asian Extreme phenomenon and no wonder that Quentin Tarantino admits being inspired by Kitano. UTV World Movies prides in our large collection of contemporary Asian cinema and Kitano's is surely one of our prized collections. Kitano- who is very well known in India as the host of cult show Takeshi's Castle will blow you out with Sonatine."