As was the case with Takeshi Kitano’s first films, Violent Cop (1989) and Boiling Point (1990), he couldn’t catch a break when Sonatine (1993) was released to unfavorable reception in Japan. His career before making films was a poignant comedian and television personality, “Beat” Takeshi; his deviation to stoic yakuza was a hard sell. Especially with the direction taken where Sonatine has more in common with a beach episode from your favorite anime. In fact, the film was so weird that the distributor, Shochiku, did not plan to release it outside of Japan.
However, after seeing the film in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival, French distributor Jean-Pierre Dionnet approached Shochiku with intent to buy the film’s license but was denied citing the film’s poor performance in Japan and it being “too Japanese” for the West. Dionnet argued that Kitano’s career is not known anywhere else in the world; therefore the film has a blank slate of expectation for the West. The license was bought, the film screened at another French festival, and it became critically acclaimed.
Takeshi Kitano: The Auteur
Sonatine is a yakuza film that one could describe as a deconstruction of the yakuza genre. There is violence, bosses, codes of ethics, big tattoos, and illegal activities. All that’s lacking is a character arc. Yakuza films typically share a common theme of redemption or ambiguous justice.
Most films introduce their protagonist and show their connection to the Japanese underworld, whether it be a law enforcer or gangster. Then an unjust villain commits a tragedy and the protagonist (usually) performs retribution to save the day. However, in a just world, violence is a crime that cannot be rectified so our protagonist faces their demise; the vicious cycle of yakuza. Of course, this heavy summarization can be argued and certainly has room to be expanded on, but for the sake of brevity, this is the framework this discussion Sonatine will be based on.
It is important to note that typical yakuza genre is under the guise of a serious tone. For example, Battles Without Honor and Humanity (1973-1976) is a film series where the material is an adaptation of real-world events and thusly the films have an air of documentary. As if to say, “this is a real story that the audience should take seriously, crime does not pay.” Sonatine takes that sentiment and shrugs its shoulders.
The Stylings of Violence
Murakawa (Kitano) is a Tokyo-based enforcer who’s tired of the yakuza lifestyle and wishes to retire. Unfortunately for him, his boss tells him that his gang must go to Okinawa to help settle a treaty between the two allies, the Nakamatsu and Anan clans. Once settled in a temporary office, Murakawa feels unsettled believing his boss sent him there to be killed. His suspicion proves correct when his office is bombed, forcing him and the survivors to lay low at a beach house.
The violence shown in Sonatine has the cathartic explosivity of cracking your knuckles. Actors stand in place with blank expressions as they shoot at each other only because they do happen to be holding guns. Conversely, there is action in the form of beach games that Murakawa and his gang play while in hiding. Such as shooting bottle rockets at each other or performing a life-size replication of a tabletop sumo game. These two modes of action clash against each other in what makes for a transgressive mood.
Transgressive in a way that makes it feel weird to say that the film is a yakuza film. What starts as the tale of a veteran yakuza doing one more job before retirement, becomes a vignette for a man expressing his desire to get out of his life in an almost depressing manner. Probably the film’s most famous scene, when Murakawa plays Russian roulette with two others on the beach, features a final shot landing on Murakawa and it is believed he’s going to die. However, the gun was empty the whole time and no danger was present. Later that night, he has a dream of the same scene but the gun is loaded.
The thread grounding the film is the violence that’s made from Murakawa; he is a violent man whose whole character is centered around it. It is fitting that the central character with the least lines expresses himself the most in action. The rejection the film casts against the staples of traditional yakuza film is skewed in such a way to make light of the genre altogether.
Similar to what Hideaki Anno did to the mecha anime with Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995-1996), Takeshi Kitano did to the yakuza film with Sonatine. Both understand the lineage of the genre space they are inhabiting so they can turn those conventions on its head.
Sonatine: Final Thoughts
This only leaves the question of how an audience in 2019 can think of this film released over 25 years ago. Well, there is the pleasing retro-ness of the ’90s being on prominent display with Ryōji (Masanobu Katsumura) whose short shorts and colorful shirts give inspiration for summertime looks. Or the meditation one can have on beaches in the canon of cinema; this is certainly my favorite beach movie! Whatever the impression left on a modern audience, the sensation of rejuvenating sorrow as the final credits roll is one that is certainly in limited stock options.
Sonatine makes me feel like I am shooting a big gun whilst my hair is blowing in the wind on a beach with my dearest friends telling me that my life is important. Do you have a film that makes you feel joyful yet melancholic? Let us know in the comments!
Sonatine was released in the US on April 10, 1998. More release dates can be found here.
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