Sonatine

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Sonatine

R,

1998,

1h 34m,

Crime/

Drama

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Watchlist

93%

27 Reviews

Tomatometer

89%

5,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

27 Reviews

89%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

A yakuza officer (Beat Takeshi) gets more than he bargained for while trying to defuse a gang war in Okinawa.

Patrick Z. McGavin

Chicago Reader

Jun 16, 2022

At a time when action movies typically hand us a canned experience, Kitano pictures carry a charge of originality.

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Kevin Thomas

Los Angeles Times

Feb 14, 2001

4/5

Sleek, punchy and altogether captivating.

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Stephen Holden

New York Times

Jan 1, 2000

4/5

Kitano's haunting elegy to the gangster way of life.

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David Parkinson

Radio Times

Sep 6, 2024

5/5

This violent, gang-war thriller is a stunning piece of film-making.

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David Pountain

Vague Visages

Dec 12, 2023

From its hypnotic style to its pessimistic plot and languid pacing, Sonatine is a mesmerizing manifestation of the troubling logic of Murakawa's final decision.

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Cole Smithey

ColeSmithey.com

Oct 17, 2011

A

[VIDEO] "Sonatine" is a lyrical picture of Japan's poker face toward the outrageous violence of its mob culture.

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Rey R

Jan 17, 2018

After watching first 20 minutes or so i thought it is going to be a normal gangster movie but it surprised me loved it :)

Hagrid S

Feb 8, 2017

Sonatine met un peu de temps à démarrer. On suit pendant une petite demi-heure Kitano, Terajima et leurs potes yakuza se tirer dessus dans le style si habituel de Kitano : des longs plans fixes, où il ne se passe parfois absolument rien. Et les yakuza partent à Okinawa, coincés dans une maison en bord de plage pour aller régler des affaires. Coincés sur cette plage, ils s'amusent. Et c'est cette partie (quasiment une heure) qui fait le sel de Sonatine. La violence n'est jamais loin, l'absurde non plus mais pendant ce temps, Kitano crée un esprit de camaraderie en très peu de paroles. Et la fin,inévitable, n'en est que plus forte. Même avec une partition un peu en-deçà de Joe Hisaishi, Sonatine continue la Winning Streak de Kitano.

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Takeshi Kitano

Director

Takeshi Kitano

Aniki Murakawa

Aya Kokumai

Miyuki

Tetsu Watanabe

Uechi

Masanobu Katsumura

Ryoji

Susumu Terajima

Ken

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Synopsis

A yakuza officer (Beat Takeshi) gets more than he bargained for while trying to defuse a gang war in Okinawa.

Director: Takeshi Kitano
Producer: Masayuki Mori, Hisao Nabeshima, Takio Yoshida
Screenwriter: Takeshi Kitano
Distributor: Miramax Films, Miramax Home Entertainment [us]
Production Co: Bandai Visual Co. Ltd., Shochiku
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 10, 1998, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 21, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $48.0K
Runtime: 1h 34m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby

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