QUICK AND DIRTY: LIVE FROM VENICE
With barely a film under two hours in Venice this year (at least in the Main Competition, where my big focus lies), watching Takeshi Kitano’s terse and uncompromising 62-minute flick is a genuine gift from the heaven. At the age of 77 (and as fresh and agile as he was four decades ago, in Nagisa Oshima’s 1983 Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence), the extremely versatile actor-turned-director once again showcases his insatiable desire for innovation and to entertainment.
Nezumi (played by the director himself, credited under the regular “Beat Takeshi” alias) is a fearless hitman nicknamed “Mouse”. He murders with surgical precision, and without blinking. His weapons include a pistol, and also his bare hands. A witness recognises him at the police station, leading to Mouse’s imprisonment and torture. The torture tactics are unlike anything you’ve ever seen before: stay away if you are either squeamish or without a sense of humour. This is really, really, really wild and otherworldly stuff. Our adorable criminal gets released on a plea bargain. In exchange for his freedom, he agrees to infiltrate the Yazuka (Japanese mafia) as a spy in exchange.
What makes Broken Rage particularly enjoyable is the fact that absolutely nothing is sacred. Kitano successfully deconstructs and mocks genre and industry regiments. Alongside with people. the helmer-scribe-thespian mercilessly assassinates the most sacred values of mainstream cinema. Plausibility, continuity and even title cards are members of bourgeoisie waiting to become brutally disfigured.
He The second half of the film features multiples “spins” of the hitherto vaguely logical and coherent story. In other words, the developments are retold with subtle (and also not-subtle!) twists, more or less like in Tom Tykwer classic Run Lola Run (1998). The biggest difference is that the German director offers a narrative justification for his repetitions, while Kitano says: “f**k narrative conventions!!!”.
Broken Rage has no shortage of furiously hilarious moments. Mouse’s assassination techniques are very peculiar, as is his unwavering nonchalance. Slapstick devices (catty fights, clumsy falls, etc), social media quips, teenage filters, untimely interruptions, bizarre fillers and even discussions about the filmmaking process (“films nowadays are so looooong”, “we need the budget for another car explosion”) punctuate this relentlessly unpredictable crime thriller from hell. Film absurdity has never been this unbridled before. Absolutely dirtylicious.
Takeshi Kitano’s new creation just premiered in the 81st Venice International Film Festival. It got audiences roaring from its first minute until the very last one.
