Warning - possible spoilers!
My IMDB research tells that 'Violent Cop' is the first directing work of Takeshi Kitano, one of the personalities of the Japanese film industry. I have not seen any of his other films, but I am now very curious to do it. If this is a debut film, then the following works may be very good indeed.
This is a story and a film not for the weak too watch. If there was a triple R rating for violence this film would have gotten it, and Terentino seems to have seen it before doing some of his tough stuff. The main character is really as violent as the title says it, but he also has the moral integrity in fighting crime that places him on the good side of the balance, and will lead him to an inevitable dark end. You can look at the film as a moral commentary like 'violence leads to violence, even if it is done in the name of a good cause' or as a tough social comment on todays Japan moral and social structure. To illustrate this - in the last scene the new cop is seen talking with the new mafia boss - 'Peace' has returned and the world is back to 'normal' - meaning corruption and crime leave peacefully among us.
The film has some astonishing camera takes, and a remarkable soundtrack. Despite its beauty it is not easy to watch, and not only because of the graphical violence. Too many characters compete on the screen and seem to disappear before making any point. Some scenes lack elementary logic (e.g. how can a cop get into the office of the mafia boss with a weapon and gun down the chief mafioso without any of the guards showing anything but Japanese serenity?). These downfalls prevent the film from entering in the best marks area, and it gets only a 7 out of 10 on my personal scale. However, I will look for this artist's later work - this is sure.
My IMDB research tells that 'Violent Cop' is the first directing work of Takeshi Kitano, one of the personalities of the Japanese film industry. I have not seen any of his other films, but I am now very curious to do it. If this is a debut film, then the following works may be very good indeed.
This is a story and a film not for the weak too watch. If there was a triple R rating for violence this film would have gotten it, and Terentino seems to have seen it before doing some of his tough stuff. The main character is really as violent as the title says it, but he also has the moral integrity in fighting crime that places him on the good side of the balance, and will lead him to an inevitable dark end. You can look at the film as a moral commentary like 'violence leads to violence, even if it is done in the name of a good cause' or as a tough social comment on todays Japan moral and social structure. To illustrate this - in the last scene the new cop is seen talking with the new mafia boss - 'Peace' has returned and the world is back to 'normal' - meaning corruption and crime leave peacefully among us.
The film has some astonishing camera takes, and a remarkable soundtrack. Despite its beauty it is not easy to watch, and not only because of the graphical violence. Too many characters compete on the screen and seem to disappear before making any point. Some scenes lack elementary logic (e.g. how can a cop get into the office of the mafia boss with a weapon and gun down the chief mafioso without any of the guards showing anything but Japanese serenity?). These downfalls prevent the film from entering in the best marks area, and it gets only a 7 out of 10 on my personal scale. However, I will look for this artist's later work - this is sure.