Leads with Kitano's exquisite timing and ability to mine both laughs and heartache in a single instant. It's a gorgeous take on alienation and guardianship.
Kikujiro (2000)
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Reviews Counted:48
Fresh:28
Rotten:20
Average Rating:5.7/10
Runtime: 1 hr 56 mins
Genre: Foreign Films
Synopsis: In Takeshi Kitano's KIKUJIRO, the actor/writer/director (billed as "Beat Takeshi") portrays the brash, mischievous title character, a middle-aged man living with his wife in Tokyo. When Masao... In Takeshi Kitano's KIKUJIRO, the actor/writer/director (billed as "Beat Takeshi") portrays the brash, mischievous title character, a middle-aged man living with his wife in Tokyo. When Masao (Yusuke Sekiguchi), a sullen neighborhood boy, embarks on a quest to find his estranged mother, Kikujiro's wife instructs him to accompany the child. Unfortunately, before they even leave town Kikujiro squanders all of their travelling money by gambling at the cycle races and as a result these two unlikely companions must hitch a series of rides on the open road. As Kikujiro and Masao trek along the Japanese countryside, they encounter strange characters and circumstances, leading to a series of misadventures. Given Kitano's reputation for violent gangster films, KIKUJIRO is a surprisingly gentle departure. However, the film still bears many of the director's stylistic trademarks (such as lingering shots of characters and landscapes) that often recall the more humorous and meditative moments of his other films like SONATINE and FIREWORKS. Kitano and the young Sekiguchi are superbly subtle in their roles, allowing their unusual chemistry to carry the film. Heart-warming without being predictable or overly sentimental, KIKUJIRO is a welcome addition to Kitano's accomplished body of work. [More]
Starring: Takeshi Kitano, Yusuke Sekiguchi, Kayoko Kishimoto, Yuko Daike
Starring: Takeshi Kitano, Yusuke Sekiguchi, Kayoko Kishimoto, Yuko Daike, Kazuko Yoshiyuki
Director: Takeshi Kitano
Director: Takeshi Kitano
Screenwriter: Takeshi Kitano
Producer: Takio Yoshida, Masayuki Mori
Composer: Joe Hisaishi
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Reviews for Kikujiro
Filtered through Kitano's distant and deadpan touch, the material works, and it works well.
Not Kitano's best but still displays a deadpan visual cleverness that's uniquely his own.
Kikujiro, like the childhood games that its characters play, offers a temporary distraction from the disappointments of reality.
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