THE FOLLOWING WEBSITE IS SUPPORTED BY: 

Back to the review page

SUMMARY

Masao is a young boy growing up with his grandmother.  His father died when he was very young, and his mother, whom he has never met, is "working hard" somewhere else.  Now that summer vacation has come, all of his friends from school have gone away. Masao has to fend for himself because grandma works full time at a fruit stand.

One day, a package arrives, with photos of his mother and father.  Using the return address, he sets out to find her.  Before he leaves town, he runs into Kikujiro and his wife, friends of his grandmother.  Concerned for Masao's well being, she bullies her husband into escourting the child to his mothers.

Masao quickly learns that Kikujiro is a thug, with a bad temper, and big mouth.  He also likes to gamble, and winds up loosing all their travel money.   Forced to depend on others, the two of them meet some interesting characters along the way.

When their journey does not go as planned, Kikujiro must find a way to show Masao that while life may be harsh, the joy of childhood is forever.

DVD VISION TEST

VIDEO: The video is fantastic. No specks, blemishes, pixels or color bleeds. With this being a recent movie, there was not any need for clean up.

AUDIO: With the 2.0, the sound is very good. However, since this movie is a dialogue based move, there is not a lot of need for surround sound. 

EDITS: None at all.  This is exactly the way the folks in Japan saw it.

EXTRAS: Some text info on writer/director/editor Takeshi Kitano.  Just him.  No other extras.

WIDESCREEN REVIEW

STORY: This is a bittersweet film, made by one of the most eclectic writers in Japan.  Takeshi "Beat" Kitano, known for his more violent movies like "Brother" and "Violent Cop", gives us a very calm and charming film that will tug on your heartstrings while tickling your funny bone.

ACTING: Great performances all around. "Beat" Takeshi gives a very soft protrayal of Kikujiro.  Is able to balance his rather sour demeanor with genuine moments of sweetness.  

Yusuke Sekiguchi is execelent as the melencholy Masao.  When we first meet him, he is a happy, outspoken child.  As his friends go away, he becomes sullen and withdrawn.  Young Sekiguchi uses his "puppy dog" looks to full effect, coveying his emotion with a smile or a froun.

FAN SERVICE: There is no fanserv in this one.

CONCLUSION

"What I did on my summer vacation."

We all remember having to write this grand thematic essay in elementary school.  In Japan, they go one step further, and give you a "theme book" where you can place pictures along with your words, making for a great way to tell a story.  Same goes for Kikujiro.  It's a modern road movie, with a timeless theme, the search for love and redemption.

For thoes who are familar with Beat Takahashi's other films, his characters are usualy moraly dubious gangsters or cops, with a penchant for violence.  Kikujiro is very much in the same vein, a low level Yakuza gangster, who is not opposed to using violence to get his point across.  He cheats on his wife, destroys property, and steals what he needs.  Not exactly a role model for young Masao.

Kikujiro is in reality a gentel soul with a heavy heart.  Despite his gruff demeanor towards the young boy, all he really wants to do is make the kid happy.  When things don't go as well as either of them had hopped, Kikujiro sets his energy keep the boy from becoming bitter and fed up with life.

While this movie may sound like a royal downer, it's not.  While there are some heavy parts, it's ballenced by some genuinely uplifting moments.  The two travlers meet a vast assortment of sweet and caring people, all who help Masao and even Kikujiro re-discover the joys in life.  There are some great comedic moments, both physical and verbal, thrown in as well.

Majority of the film is carried by Beat Takahashi and Yusuke Sekiguchi.  The two of them work well together, and their acting is quite natural.  There are many times where Beat is genuinly laughing at what is going on.  I really think that Yusuke had a good time making this film.  His smiles seem real, and are very touching to see.

One of my favorite characters is Kikujiro's wife.  Sharp with her toung, she is not afraid of anyone.  Not gangsters, and certanily not her husband.  When she forces her husband to escourt the young boy, you can't help but snicker at seeing the bad-boy Beat Takahashi get brow beaten by a woman.

Another thing I liked about this film was how the violence was either off camera, or so far away, you can't make out the details.  However, there are some scenes that if children are watching, you may have to explain some things.  That shoud not stop you from letting your entire family from enjoying this sweet film.

The only problem I had with this DVD was the lack of extras.  As most people are not familar with Japanese cinema or Beat Takahashi, some more background information on both thoes subjects would have been helpful.

Over all, Kikujiro is one of thoes films that makes you feel good by the time it's over.  Beat Takahashi shows that he is perficatly capabible to write and driect a touching film.  With characters you can love, and it's uplifting message, this is one the whole family can enjoy.  Perhaps, you too might believe that angels exist on Earth.

Return to Top

Back to the Review Page