"Fireworks"
(Hana-Bi)
1997
Directed by Takeshi Kitano

A mesmerizing, poetic drama punctuated by chaotic bursts of violence, this is arguably actor-director Takeshi Kitano's masterpiece. It is a visually elegant tale of an embittered cop who plans a robbery to obtain painting supplies for his crippled partner, and to secure a final journey for his terminally ill wife and himself. Kitano's own distinctive artwork figures prominently in his visual tapestry. "Takeshi is an alchemist, combining wildly varied ingredients--deadpan humor, melodramatic reversals, sudden violence, lyrical imagery of haunting innocence--and making pure gold of them" (Dave Kehr, New York Daily News). Japanese with English subtitles.
103 minutes.