(aka "Sono otoko, kyobo ni tsuki" )
Japan 1989
What should have been a comic Dirty Harry-ish farce, became an gritty, dark and violent tale, when director Kinji Fukasaku walked out of the project and Kitano was offered the chance to direct. Kitano virtually rewrote the entire script, removed all comedy and made himself a platform, from which he could show his serious side. Originally a stand-up comic, Kitano followed the advice from friend and director Nagisa Oshima and played criminals in order to express not only his darker side but also his dramatic talent. Having done this quiet successfully on TV and in Oshima’s “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence”, Kitano felt let down, when all he was offered was comic roles: Now he had the chance to control what he wanted.
The story is pretty straight forward. Azuma (Kitano) is a rogue homicide detective, a loner without respect or care for neither his superiors nor police procedures, using violence and other unethical methods to get results. When his best friend gets killed by the yakuza, he goes after the killer, but instead of getting support, Azuma is charged with wrongful arrest, planting of evidence and attempting to kill a prisoner. He is fired. Having lost everything and feeling betrayed, he buys a gun and goes on a personal vendetta, seeking justice in the only way he knows: By killing everyone in his way.
Extraordinary simple in both story and visual style, Kitano may not have had a clue how to direct, but his passion and vision sat aside any lacking of experience. An extraordinary strong directorial debut by any standard.
The original title, “Sono otoko, kyobo ni tsuki”, means "Watch out, this man is dangerous" and is far more fitting for the story that the rather generic American title, “Violent Cop”.
Henrik Sylow of kitanotakeshi.com
Posters
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Theatrical Release: August 12, 1989 (Japan)
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DVD Comparison:
Fox Lorber - Region 1 - NTSC vs. MIA - Region 2 - PAL
(Fox Lorber - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT vs. MIA - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)
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(mouse over for non-violent cover)
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| Distribution |
Fox Lorber Region 1 - NTSC |
MIA Region 2 - PAL |
| Runtime | 1:42:27 | 1:42:46 |
| Video |
1.79:1
Original Aspect Ratio |
1.76:1
Original Aspect Ratio |
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Bitrate:
Fox Lorber
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Bitrate:
MIA
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| Audio | 2.0 Dolby Digital Japanese |
2.0 Dolby Digital Japanese |
| Subtitles | English, None | English, None (16x9 friendly optional) |
| Features |
Release Information: Studio: Fox Lorber Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details:
Chapters 6 |
Release Information: Studio: MIA Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details:
DVD
Release Date: December 3, 2001 Chapters 12 |
| Comments |
While both discs are bad and
have heavy ghosting, the Fox Lorber is the best. Its image is shaper vs.
MIA, which not only is looks filtered but also is cropped 2% to 2,5% top,
bottom and left (look at subtitle picture). In fact, compared to the Fox
Lorber disc, the only positive thing one can say about the MIA disc is,
that it has an option that allows 16x9 friendly subtitles. There are two versions of the Fox Lorber DVD. The one has a "gory" cover, the other has a "non gory" cover, otherwise the DVDs are 100% identical. |
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DVD Menus
(Fox Lorber - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT
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Screen Captures
(Fox Lorber - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. MIA - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)
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(Fox Lorber - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. MIA - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)
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(Fox Lorber - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. MIA - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)
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(Fox Lorber - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. MIA - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)
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Report Card:
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Image: |
Fox Lorber |
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| Extras: | -- |
| Menu: | MIA |
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