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Fireworks (Hana-Bi)


Starring Beat Takeshi, Kayoko Kishimoto, Ren Osugi and Susumu Terajima. Written and directed by Takeshi Kitano. Japanese, with English sub-titles.

Nishi (Takeshi) is a veteran cop in a large, metropolitan Japanese city. He has won numerous citations for excellence, and his stony facade that only changes slightly, when his right side begins to twitch when he's just a little pissed, and just about to do lethal violence to the guy offending him. His wife Miyuki (Kishimoto) is in the hospital, dying of leukemia. And to make matters worse, she and Nishi are still mourning the death of their young daughter. Nishi's best friend Horibe (Osugi) is his partner, and together they enjoy brutalizing the bad guys, and giving the other cops a hard time. Nishi's one major source of guilt, is that of the death of one of his colleagues who died trying to help him subdue a violent criminal. He is also up to his eyeballs in debt to the local shakuza.

One day, on a stakeout, Horibe takes Nishi's shift, insisting Nishi go to the hospital to visit his wife. At the hospital, the doctor tells Nishi they can't do anything for her, and to take his wife home, perhaps go on a trip together. But suddenly, Nishi gets a message at the hospital - Horibe has been shot on the stakeout. Horibe lives, but is confined to a wheelchair and unable to work. What's more, his wife and child leave him. Nishi essentially retires from the force after this. Horibe takes up painting to pass the time, but is largely unfulfilled by his hobby. Nishi also makes a stark decision, one that will allow him to repay his debts both personal and financial, and enjoy time with his wife in the beautiful Japanese wilderness in her final days on earth.

Beat Takeshi is a famous talk host in Japan, whose show is supposedly so sleazy and low brow, it makes Jerry Springer look like Dick Cavett. But his real name is Takeshi Kitano, and under this name he has directed seven quality feature films. Fireworks is a quiet, reflective film about a man coming to terms with the tragedies in his life, and attempting to give back to those he feels he owes. It is beautifully shot, filled with blue skies, scenic coastlines and dingy city streets. Horibe's paintings are interspersed throughout, usually as a means of signifying his moods and thoughts. Kitano has been labelled as the "Japanese Tarantino", because of his witty dialogue about ordinary things, and his use of beautifully choreographed violence that jarringly surfaces out of nowhere in the midst of serene and calm surroundings.

The supporting actors are quite good, especially Horibe as the wisecracking detective who is lost without his police work and family, but tries to make some sense of life through painting. Takeshi, or Kitano if you like, makes Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry look chatty. He rarely shows emotion, but when he does, it is quite powerful. His show of love towards his wife on their trip is quite touching. But, for the most part, the film is slowed down by the constant shots of a stony-faced Nishi looking into the camera with little or no reaction. Another glaring weakness is the jarring scene changes from present to past, with little explanation or indication of the time change. Plus several scenes are included for seemingly no reason. Some become understandable near the end, but others are never tied in any way to the rest of the film. There is much to recommend artistically in Fireworks, and it is, overall, worth a look.




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