Touching, absurd and beautiful. Hana-bi is a lot like 'Sonatine' another one of Kitano's films as it portrays a nihilistic main character, a man of few words, dealing with his wife dying and his co-worker wanting to commit suicide. Hana-bi moves at a slow pace and is accompanied ... read more
Takeshi Kitano,
Kayoko Kishimoto,
Ren Osugi,
Susumu Terajima,
Tetsu Watanabe
... see more
Actor and auteur Takeshi Kitano (who in Japan also uses the stage name "Beat" Takeshi, primarily for his work as a television comedian) wrote, directed, edited, and starred in this unusual crime drama... read more
DVD Release Date: July 11, 2000
Stats: 693 reviews
Your Rating
Flixster Reviews (693)
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July 14, 2011fb573414556 -
December 28, 2009
This movie is from a list of movies played at the 1997 Toronto International Movie Festival.Its written by Takeshi Kitano and is 103 Minutes long. Its about a police officer in Asia, whose wife is dying of Leukemia and one of his fellow partners gets shot on the job, along with ... read more
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November 14, 2009
An ex cop tries to spend time with his dying wife during her final days, but a Yakuza loan shark refuses to leave him in peace. A typically understated marriage of violence and poetry from Beat Takeshi, Hana Bi examines loss and mortality in a deeply personal way. It shares many ... read more
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September 4, 2009
Hana-bi is Kitano's most personal work to date. It seems like all his feelings, that he'd bottled up for so long, were suddenly triggered and then released after his near death motorcycle accident. In his autobiography it says that after he committed suicide (Beat, his alter-ego)... read more
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December 10, 2008
The damaging effects of violence, the strong bonds between family and friends, and the healing power of art are explored in a visually effective way. It's remarkable how much can be communicated considering Fireworks' almost complete lack of dialogue. Takeshi "Beat" Kitano, who p... read more
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September 30, 2008
A film like Hana Bi perfectly embodies the phrase "less is more". Kitano doesn't waste any time in pointless exposition, dialogues and what not. He goes straight to the core of things, going from a violent scene to a tender moment to a funny part in a way that many so called dire... read more
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January 31, 2008
My first introduction to Kitano. Very interesting stylistically, sort of the anti-John Woo. Like if Sam Fuller had a man-baby with Gus Van Sant
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September 30, 2010
Jaded and troubled cop gives his soon-to-be-dead wife a final road trip.
I like Takeshi Kitano, and I particularly like Fireworks. He manages to combine violence, poignancy and comedy without throwing the pace of the film. and he leaves space and silence which others would fill... read more -
August 27, 2011
A profoundly moving, poetic movie, made of extremes that on most occasions works, but on others the contrasts are a bit too much to handle. Nevertheless no one should miss this and I dare you not to feel "something" towards Nishi's character.
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February 17, 2007
The most beautiful crime story ever made. Along with the wonderful visuals you get a great Kitano performance and an intense story. This is the film where I think Takeshi Kitano really became the director he is today.
Critic Reviews
Compared to [Takeshi] Kitano, Bruce Willis is a wimp, Harrison Ford is a creep, and Mel Gibson is a joke. Full Review
Kitano uses his own face as a blank slate with which to sketch a complicated human being. Full Review
Kitano makes static, understated movies about existences wasted, and rediscovering the joy of being, for a brief time, alive.... Violence comes in sudden bursts, as a shocking interruption. Full Review
A really good example of character development by actions, without the benefit of dialog or mannerisms. Full Review
Simultaneously coolly stylized and surprisingly emotionally persuasive. Full Review
An exceptional piece of filmmaking, a drama that blurs the line between the ultra-violent cop movie genre and weepy but moving melodrama, and does it very convincingly. Full Review
Richly satisfying to the emotions and the senses. Full Review
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