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"Kikujiro", one of the most eccentric and uplifting films of the last two years, was a road movie propelled by engaging daftness and quiet charm. Despite being built around a clapped-out criminal, there was not a drop of blood in sight. Certainly those of you with fond memories of it, and who have not seen "Violent Cop", "Boiling Point", and "Hana-Bi" (also by Takeshi Kitano), will receive a blunt shock on viewing "Brother" which, like the other three films, is awash with stylish violence.
"Brother", the first film Kitano has shot outside Japan, raises questions of underworld loyalty and filters them mainly through the gang-based relationship - and later genuine friendship - between a young, keen American (Omar Epps) who realises that violent crime really is a cul-de-sac, and a yakuza ('Beat' Takeshi, as the director calls himself when acting) who after being abandoned by his clan in Tokyo has come to LA in search of his half-brother, a likable small-time drug-dealer.
Certainly the way the two men strive to forge a friendship - both within and without the yakuza code - is the film's key point of interest, and that's where the director's creative commitment clearly lies. As for the rest, the plot reaches a plateau at an early stage, and Kitano seems content to come up with one similar scenario after another. You sense that finger-chopping and stomach-splitting are there to shock rather than reveal more about yakuza customs.
The central relationship apart, the moments which have some spark are the lighter, low-key ones, like gang members betting on whether a man or a woman will pass the window next, a big-goon minder struggling to play basketball, and Takeshi's continuously bemused expression. When "Brother" is more serious, blood splashes everywhere and soaks the audience.
Read a review of Takeshi's "Kids Return"
