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Takeshi Kitano, Claude Maki, Omar Epps, Masaya Kato, Ren Ohsugi ... see more see more... , Susumu Terajima , Ryo Ishibashi , James Shigeta , Tetsuya Watari , Kool Moe Dee , Manny Perez , Tatyana Ali , Joy Nakagawa

Internationally acclaimed director and Japanese media phenomenon Takeshi Kitano follows up his well-regarded Kikujiro with this straight-ahead gangster saga with a cross-cultural twist. The film focus... read more read more...es on Yamamoto (Kitano), a yakuza forced out of the country when a gang war all but wipes out his clan. Armed with a fake credit card, a forged passport, and a bag of money, he journeys to the strange and foreign land of Los Angeles to join his half-brother Ken (Claude Maki), who works as a low-rent street tough alongside fast-talking hustler Denny (Omar Epps). With brutal efficiency, the poker-faced Yamamoto starts staking out turf and organizing Ken's mob into one of the most powerful criminal syndicates in the city. As his gang grows in number and power, he is joined by Kato (Kitano regular Susumu Terajima), his former lieutenant from Japan, who entreats Little Tokyo's pathological crime boss Shirase (Masaya Kato) to join the group. Yamamoto seems unstoppable until his gang runs afoul of the Mafia. Soon, all that he built quickly and bloodily starts to unravel as every member in his gang is marked for death. This film was screened at the 2000 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

Flixster Users

77% liked it

8,443 ratings

Critics

46% liked it

70 critics

R, 1 hr. 52 min.

Directed by: Takeshi Kitano

Release Date: June 1, 2001

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DVD Release Date: January 2, 2002

Stats: 557 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (557)

  • garyX
    May 24, 2012
    garyX
    When an uncompromising Yakuza leaves Japan to prevent the ignition of a gang war, he joins his brother, a small time drug dealer in America and shocks both his friends and enemies with his ruthless brutality. But when their fledgling organization reaches the attention of the mafi... read morea, the cycle of violence soon spirals out of control. Kiteshi Kitano's culture clash gangster movie has the unlikely friendship between his stone-faced and laconic Yakuza and wisecracking petty hustler Omar Epps at it's core, punctuated by explosive bursts of visceral action. It contains his trademark humour, "gangsters at play" and simple yet beautiful direction that relies on stoic imagery and composition rather than the endless dolly shots and pointless colour filters that seem to plague modern cinema. One minor gripe is that Takeshi clearly tempered his vision for the sake of American audiences and his usual uncompromising nihilism is diluted to provide a (semi) happy ending. Not his best, but the familiar US settings and English dialogue make Brother the perfect entry point for anyone unfamiliar with Beat Takeshi's work.
  • SirPant
    September 4, 2009
    SirPant
    Something was lost slightly when Kitano decided to come over to the west and make an English speaking film. The supporting cast were such in awe of him and it showed on film and made for uncomfortable viewing. That said, this film contains one of the most shocking and unexpected ... read moretwists that I?ve seen for a long time. It?s still Kitano, it's still good.
  • DrBenway
    April 30, 2009
    DrBenway
    If you don't know Beat Takeshi let me explain; He's a different type of badass. He doesn't have great karate skills or runs around hanging from helicopters and jumping away from explosions in slow motion and what not. Even without a language barrier, he doesn't say much, so he's ... read morenot really a tough talker. Doesn't even bother trying to look tough. He mostly sits there in sunglasses with an indecipherable look on his face, as if smiling at something...but you're not sure what. When he removes his sunglasses, his eyes are a total blank, so they don't really help at all. He's somewhat a friendly, joking kind of guy, like a friendly old neighbor, but he's also really good at punching you in the kidney with a knife, or hiding guns in places so he can pop them out and shoot a room full of people before they can think what to do.

    While some people might argue that this film is too commercial and lacks the artistic value of other films I'd later see from the director, what has not changed is Kitano's love in exploring the complexity of human choice under extreme condition. The film has a charm all its' own and would be an ideal place to start if curious about the world of Takeshi Kitano as he points towards a new direction for the yakuza genre.
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  • pier007
    March 8, 2008
    pier007
    Takeshi Kitano creates a peculiar, paused, funny, highly violent but somewhat touching clash between the eastern and western underworld.
  • DragonEyeMorrison
    February 3, 2008
    DragonEyeMorrison
    A compendium of ideas that Kitano has previously explored, and with far better results, in Sonatine, Violent Cop and Hana Bi. Not a bad effort per se, it just feels like a long deja vu, and eventually becomes just a shooting gallery for Kitano. Don't get me wrong, watching Kitano... read more killing gangster after gangster can be fun, but it can also get repetitive after a while.
  • harrycaul
    January 27, 2008
    harrycaul
    As ever, the first order of business for Takeshi Kitano, director, is ensuring that Takeshi Kitano, actor, looks cool at all times. In this particular vanity-project he plays a Yakuza exiled to the United States, who rises through the underworld ranks to become a powerful mob bos... read mores -- much like Pacino's Tony Montana in "Scarface" -- before an ill-advised war with the Mafia brings his empire crashing down. Also like "Scarface", the nature of Kitano's business once he's hit the big-time is very superficially sketched, jettisoned in favour of painfully unfunny culture-clash comedy, excruciating sentimentality and a lot of honourable Yakuza self-mutilation. The absence of plot leaves one plenty of time to reflect whether Kitano's anti-heroes would be quite so laconic if he were a better actor. "Brother" is indifferently acted, as unattractively photographed as a TV movie, and it has a ghastly, maudlin jazz soundtrack. Of the half-dozen Kitano movies I've seen, this is the worst.
  • kpn666
    May 15, 2007
    kpn666
    Superb gangster movie! A grey film of sorts where there is no spectrum of colors, only shades of grey - metaphorically speaking. the term i would use is faux zen: style without substance. and funnily, it works.
  • KLFilmmaker
    October 7, 2006
    KLFilmmaker
    My favorite so far by Kitano. This yakuza flick has a perfect blend of drama, humour & violence. So many great sequences. Don't miss this!
  • RicardoCraneo
    July 14, 2011
    RicardoCraneo
    Much better than the other dry and lifeless works the director has made. Still only my fourth from Kitano. I think it's only fair to judge him based on his best though? Brother is dense, unique, violent, badass, funny. It turns a lot of cliches on their heads and best of all a tw... read moreo hour add on (An extension of the rising actions) would've not harmed the film one bit - it's that diverse and entertaining with the plot. It's great how it paints a Yakuza as so cruel and intimidating, yet there's still a soul within the story and character. Some of the acting gets choppy and you can tell it's because of the style of the directing, but there's no net damage because we just can't get over the awesomeness of the concept of oriental organized crime intermingling out of its native territory and into America..
  • kingmob6
    August 30, 2010
    kingmob6
    An exiled Yakuza turns up in America and reconnects with his half-brother. Together they begin to take over the local drug scene in increasingly dnagerous altercations, which will ultimately come back to haunt them.

    The film is okay, but to be perfectly honest the best thing is ... read moreKitano's performance, and I've liked him much more in other films.

    It's worth a rental, but nothing I'd recommend that you check out first when Kitano has many other, better films out there.

View All Brother Reviews

Critic Reviews

Joe Baltake
August 24, 2001
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee

Singularly unexciting for an action film, and working up enthusiasm for it is difficult. Full Review

Andrew Sarris
August 3, 2001
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer

As an actor and writer-director, Mr. Kitano projects an amused irony that makes his films worth seeing. Full Review

Desson Thomson
July 27, 2001
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

Just how many acts of self-inflicted finger amputations do I really want to see?

Bob Graham
July 27, 2001
Bob Graham, San Francisco Chronicle

Kitano presents all this mayhem in crisp and cool camera work that distances it and keeps it from becoming oppressive. Full Review

Eric Harrison
July 27, 2001
Eric Harrison, Houston Chronicle

Intriguing though uneven. Full Review

Susan Stark
July 27, 2001
Susan Stark, Detroit News

A provocative variation on moviedom's worn cross-cultural themes. Full Review

Terry Lawson
July 27, 2001
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press

This somber and bloody retread is hardly the best place to first make Kitano's intimidating acquaintance. Full Review

Steven Rosen
July 27, 2001
Steven Rosen, Denver Post

Rarely has such an artful aesthetic been used to craft such sadistically violent junk. Full Review

Roger Ebert
July 27, 2001
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Too many of the killing scenes have a casual, perfunctory tone. Full Review

Jay Carr
July 27, 2001
Jay Carr, Boston Globe

There's nothing noble about Aniki's steadfastness; he's a violent thug who's simply more skilled and efficient than the other thugs surrounding him.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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