Outrage

The closer to retirement Takeshi Kitano is getting, the more eager the 63-year-old actor and director seems to cover his annual rings with crimson blood. Following excellent accomplishments in period cinema and contemplative self-reflexivity, he now returns to the dragon tattoos and criminal codes of the Yakuza – an area of expertise, as showcased in 90’s masterpieces Sonatine and Fireworks.

Yakuza-eiga is an important part of Japanese film history, in debt to directors such as Seijun Suzuki and Kinji Fukasaku. Its cultural value may seem forgotten in contemporary cinema, but only until Kitano comes along.

With Outrage, a straightforward story of rivalry between clans, he once again proves to be a genre-bending daredevil. He is truly a pioneer and an innovator of classic cinema, whose point-of-view is defined by his deadpan humor and weird sense for explicit imagery. Searching for sheer originality? Maybe you should turn elsewhere. But when in need of a dark horse of auteur cinema, the kamikaze pilot seen flying between film history and pop-cultural hysteria, Kitano sure knows how to deliver.

Premiere Status
Nordic Premiere: Orig. title
Autoreiji: Cast
Takeshi Kitano: Producer
Masayuki Mori, Takio Yoshida: Script
Takeshi KITANO: Cinematography
Katsumi Yanagijima: Music
Keiichi Suzuki: Spoken language
Japanese: Subtitle
Swedish subtitles