Takeshi Kitano is back to finish his yakuza trilogy with Outrage Coda
FESTIVAL OF NEW JAPANESE FILM: OUTRAGE CODA (アウトレイジ 最終章) (AUTOREIJI SAISHUSHO) (Takeshi Kitano, 2017)
Japan Society
333 East 47th St. at First Ave.
Saturday, July 28, 5:15
Series runs July 19-29
212-715-1258
www.japansociety.org
The annual Japan Cuts series continues July 28 with the New York premiere of Takeshi Kitano’s Outrage: Coda, the finale in his yakuza series that began in 2010 with Outrage, followed two years later by Beyond Outrage. It’s not exactly the meeting of the five families in The Godfather when clan leaders get together as former stock trader Nomura (Ren Osugi) considers stepping down from his role as boss and selecting a replacement. Jockeying for various positions are the old school Nishino (Toshiyuki Nishida), the big, not too bright Hanada (Pierre Taki), the deeply pensive Nakata (Sansei Shiomi), and the sharp, cool Chang (Tokio Kaneda), who seems to have stepped right out of an episode of the original Hawaii Five-O. Detective Shigeta (Yutaka Matsushige) is on the case, watching it all very carefully, especially when round-faced Otomo (Kitano, who goes by the name Beat Takeshi as an actor) returns after a stint on Jeju Island in Korea.
Potential succession leads to betrayals and double crosses in Outrage Coda
Don’t try to make too much sense of the nonsensical plot, which involves multiple double crosses, endless betrayals, devious conniving, doofy decision making, and ridiculous twists as Kitano (Kikujiro, Zatōichi) has fun playing with genre conventions and composer Keiichi Suzuki’s award-winning score soars. Characters regularly treat one another like kids, calling their cohorts stupid idiots like Moe insulting Larry and Curly. (Kitano is a comedian as well.) Meanwhile, Otomo, the coolest of customers, is up to something, guns blazing, all captured splendidly by cinematographer Katsumi Yanagijima. Oh, and just wait till you see Nomura’s retirement wear. Outrage Coda is screening at Japan Society on July 28 at 5:15; Japan Cuts: Festival of New Japanese Film continues through July 29 with such other works as Masayuki Suo’s Abnormal Family, Akiko Ohku’s Tremble All You Want, Keisuke Yoshida’s Thicker than Water, and House creator Nobuhiko Obayashi’s Hanagatami.
Hardboiled action director and comic Takeshi Kitano, who is best known for such violent films as Violent Cop, Sonatine, and Boiling Point, has also made family dramas and romances as well (Kikujiro, A Scene at the Sea), and Dolls might be his most emotional, introspective picture. Dolls opens with a Bunraku puppet theater excerpt from Monzaemon Chikamatsu’s The Courier for Hell before delving into the dark story of Matsumoto (Hidetoshi Nishijima) and Sawako (Miho Kanno). Matsumoto dumps Sawako so he can marry the boss’s daughter, but when Sawako tries to kill herself and ends up in a mental hospital, Mastumoto decides to take care of the speechless, frightened shell of a woman she has become. He leads her through the seasons, tied to her by a red cord, a pair of bound beggars. Two subplots, which we’re not sure were absolutely necessary, also deal with love and loss, obsession and desire. Joe Hisaishi’s music is gorgeous, as is Katsumi Yanagijima’s cinematography. Kitano, who wrote, directed, and edited Dolls, mixes in sensational colors to balance out black-and-white tuxedos or long patches of snow: You’ll be mesmerized by the red rope, a purple-and-black butterfly, Sawako’s pink child’s toy, a glowing blue bridge, Matsumoto’s bright yellow car, a green public phone, a blue drink, twirling pinwheels, a shockingly blue umbrella, a park filled with cherry blossoms, and Yohji Yamamoto’s sparkling costumes. The film is bleak, slow-paced, and heart-tuggingly pure, a rewarding experience that will stay with you for a long time.
