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Such a frustrating disappointment

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Brother like many other Takeshi Kitano films it is a gangster related action film the film itself is worth a 7 out of 10 but it's Kitanos witty dry almost British humour in his films that brings him up a notch, in this film the scene where he is betting on whether a man or woman comes round the corner scene, no spoilers u gotta check it out. Just like his other films with action great directing but mainly his cheeky banter and professional acting skills that makes the film. If you likes his 93 film sonatine this film is on par with that , but even better if you prefer less subtitles as its set in us only half is subtitles but to me I love my world cinema so it is all good. This film is definitely a good Friday night watch ..

Brother is another of Takeshi Kitano's 'Yakuza' thrillers, though this time the Yakuza are only a small part of the picture and only sometimes set in Japan. Akani (Kitano) is a hit-man who has bitten off more than he can chew- killed some of the wrong people, if at the right place at the right moment- and is advised to leave the country. He joins his brother in LA and soon he and a rag-tag group of hoodlums- mostly by way of the chilling, quiet audacity and cunning shooting skills of Anaki- rise the ranks as big-time crime lords in LA... that is, until, they mess with the Italians.This part of the story, admittedly, is rather typical and maybe just something Kitano felt he had to work with as one of those staples of the genre: rise and undoubted fall of a skilled but flawed criminal mastermind/killer. But Brother is most impressive not for its plot, which can occasionally appear ragged and disconnected (perhaps by design as Kitano is the editor), but for presentation. Kitano himself as a presence/star/actor is so cool that had he been around during Melville's time he could wipe the floor with Alan Delon and even Belmondo in the bad-ass department. This is just one component to Brother's success though since Kitano could put himself in just about anything and make that part of it look cool. Coolness isn't enough in Brother, and rightfully so; this isn't a fun movie entirely to watch, even if one might feel guilty in enjoying some of the more crazy shoot-outs and bouts of violence.The body count here, according to the trivia, is 78. This is a high number, but despite seeing it in a cut R-rated version it doesn't feel very compromised (mayhap it is and I'm being naive, but it's a first-time viewing all the same). It's a real sight to see to witness how Kitano makes these encounters of violence surprising; the first big one, with the first time Omar Epps and Kitano run into each other on the street (glass breaks, scoff and demand, glass cut to the face) the way its edited is fantastic in timing and perception- not minimalist, but something a few beats different then what one would normally see. We also see Kitano's knack at unusual but inventive framing devices, like a dark, massive shoot-out under a bridge at night with warring gangs, and only the lights from the guns blazing off of the bodies. Other moments like these are a sight of bodies laid out in the Japanese word of "Death", and when one gangster is already dead when a group in a car pull up to a house: Kitano focuses on that. The final shoot-out, as well, is unexpected.It's not a great movie, and suffers from the flaws mentioned at the top. Yet I'd recommend Brother to any genre fan, to those chest-deep in Yakuza flicks and one who's only aware of Kitano from Zatoichi. This is no Shoot Em Up, but a serious picture about the damning implications of a life devoted to self-destruction and annihilation for stupid, materialist and territorial goals. If it's not anything entirely new its film-making enriches what's conventional, and Kitano is always clever at bending the lines.

Fantastic portrayal of the ruthless and die-hard Yakuzas. The great storyline manifests emotional and creative intelligence, and incites continuous interest. There is some humour amongst the intense action and gripping plot. A must see.There are plenty of assassinations, assassination attempts, demonstrations of power/allegiance/ruthlessness/respect. The movie shows the felicity that comes from power and wealth, and the terrors of living in fear of being assassinated and losing your friends and family to bullets and bombs.CAREFUL, THE FOLLOWING IS A SPOILER:A Yakuza's (Aniki) boss is killed, and with the Japanese police interfering in the gang war and Aniki's gang joining up with the enemy gang, "Aniki" (Big Brother) decides to move to the U.S. He finds his younger brother and immediately gets himself into gang activity and starts a gang and war of his own in America.

After my first introduction to Takeshi ("Beat") Kitano through Batoru rowaiaru and Batoru rowaiaru II: Chinkonka, my interest was aroused. Therefore I sat down to watch Brother, via Film4, peppered with positive expectation. I was not disappointed.There is something about the man Kitano which is most intriguing. This element of the man translates onto his films most effectively. Fortunately I was completely ignorant as to what to expect from Brother except the rudimentary blurb within my television programme guide. Immediately, upon seeing Kitano, I was transfixed. Within his acting he carries the ability shared only with Steve McQueen which can only be summed up through a critic's quote I read once in the 70s referring to McQueen, "He can act with the back of his head". Mr Kitano possesses this same gift. Add to this the fact that he wrote, edited, directed and starred in Brother only stimulates my interest in the man to a greater degree.Beat Takeshi has a menace about him and his character within this film is unpredictable or, as a line in this film commented: inscrutable. Perfect for the character of Aniki. Despite the violence within this epic the film is primarily Kitano's character and relationships.True, he goes from incident to incident placing himself in ever more perilous situations as this is the character of the story but I see more to the film than this surface fundamental impression. The film appears to be more in line with the title: Brother. It is a story centring on relationships, albeit relationships within quite a turbulent backdrop. The violence should not get all the focus.Another reviewer mentioned tying this film to such stories as Reservoir Dogs; but I disagree. Relationships, made clear in the dénouement, strengthen this argument. One knows the background of Aniki, a violent and nefarious fellow, but his character, the character of the man, outshines what he actively does in the story, objectively speaking. His relationship with the superbly acted Omar Epps as Denny is touching. Clearly the highlight of the film.Well done, Takeshi Kitano. Well done.