Review of Kikujiro (1999) by Carrie S — 08 Jan 2008
This is my favorite Kitano film. Although it includes some elements of the yakuza, it is a far cry from his other films in which violence and revenge were central themes. It is a heartwarming story of a yakuza wannabe (or a washed out one) who reluctantly takes a lonely kid on a road trip to search for his mother.
The mis-adventures he gets the kid into are hilarious - especially the bicycle race scene. The humor is dry and deap-pan, so probably not everyone is going to like it. The music is also another reason I love this movie.
Joe Hisaishi is probably my favorite composer (he also scores for the master animator Miyazaki - Prinicess Mononoke, Spirited Away), and the score he did for this film always captivates me. I would recommend this film highly to anyone who is tired of the trite and cliched films Hollywood likes to churn out these days.
It's a simple but beautiful film.
This review of Kikujiro (1999) was written by Carrie S on 08 Jan 2008.
Kikujiro has generally received positive reviews.
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