Film Review: Hana-bi (Fireworks)

HANA-BI (Takeshi Kitano, 1997)
In Japanese, with English subtitles

Takeshi Kitano as Mr. Nishi in Hana-bi (1997)

The main character is called Nishi, a hard-boiled cop. His daughter has just recently died. His wife is terminally ill, her condition has worsened because of their daughter's death, and the hospital advises him to take his wife home. As if these are not enough, Nishi's devastation seems to have blown out of proportions: his long-time partner in the police was shot; the latter is now crippled and abandoned by his family. And then, he gets enmeshed in the claws of the Yakuza.

Hana-bi literally means flower (hana) and fire (bi) - these capture the character of Nishi. He is tender as a flower when it comes to family but can be furious as fire if needs be. It may be trite but the way these ironies are presented in masterfully shot scenes is simply artful and awesome. Of course there are scenes of violence but these are far and between, and they're a must. The juxtapositions of ironic scenes or ironic musical scores and scenes are wonderful.

This is definitely one of the best gangster films ever made.

Rating: 4.0/4.0