1209. Hana-bi

Hana-bi
Fireworks
1997
Directed by Takeshi Kitano

I think we are all familiar with the retired police cop trope, when the former detective has some dark past but can't give up the job. I was ready to settle into a comfortably cliche movie, but it actually took a very unexpected turn.

Yoshitaka Nishi was a police detective, until a violent workplace incident forced him to retire. Now he spends most of his time taking care of his wife, who is dying from leukemia. Nishi had to borrow money from the yakuza to pay for his wife's care, and is now having trouble coming up with the cash to pay them back. Meanwhile, the other survivor of the grisly incident copes with his own health troubles/PTSD as well.

Like I said, this film did some unexpected things. Amidst all the violence, and there was quite a bit of it, the movie managed to sneak in some really serene moments. I enjoyed the juxtaposition between peace and bloodshed, and the ending really captured that dichotomy perfectly.

A surprisingly beautiful film, and I'm starting to enjoy these movies more as we get closer to the end. 

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

The first Japanese film released in Korea since World War II. 

Remade in Canada in 2009.