Brother (2000 film)

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Brother
BrotherKitano.jpg
Directed by Takeshi Kitano
Produced by <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Written by Takeshi Kitano
Starring <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Music by Joe Hisaishi
Edited by Takeshi Kitano
Distributed by Shochiku Co., Ltd.
Release dates
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  • July 20, 2001 (2001-07-20)
Running time
114 minutes
Country <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
  • United States
  • United Kingdom
  • Japan
Language Japanese
English
Box office $15.2 million[1]

Brother is a 2000 film starring, written, directed, and edited by Japanese filmmaker Takeshi Kitano.[2]

Plot

Takeshi Kitano plays Yamamoto, a lone yakuza officer. Defeated in a war with a rival family, his boss killed, he heads to Los Angeles, California.

As time passes, Yamamoto and his new gang emerge as a powerful force, gradually expanding their turf to an extent that they must confront the Mafia. The Mafia's attacks are ruthless, and soon Yamamoto and his gang are driven into a disastrous situation of no return as they are hunted down one by one.

Cast

Soundtrack

Brother
Brother -- joe hisaishi.jpeg
Soundtrack album by Joe Hisaishi
Released 27 January 2001
Genre Stage & screen
Length 49:39
Label Polygram, Silva America, Milan Records[3]
Producer Joe Hisaishi
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 3/5 stars[4]

Track listing

No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Drifter... in LAX"   Joe Hisaishi 4:22
2. "Solitude"   Duke Ellington / Joe Hisaishi 3:34
3. "Tattoo"   Joe Hisaishi 0:56
4. "Death Spiral"   Joe Hisaishi 1:04
5. "Party - One Year Later"   Joe Hisaishi 4:26
6. "On the Shore"   Joe Hisaishi 1:21
7. "Blood Brother"   Joe Hisaishi 3:37
8. "Raging Men"   Joe Hisaishi 1:19
9. "Beyond the Control"   Joe Hisaishi 1:25
10. "Wipe Out"   Joe Hisaishi 5:26
11. "Liberation from the Death"   Joe Hisaishi 3:52
12. "I Love You... Aniki"   Joe Hisaishi 4:37
13. "Ballade"   Coleman Hawkins / Joe Hisaishi / Charlie Parker 1:53
14. "BROTHER"   Dean Dinning / Randy Guss / Joe Hisaishi / Todd Nichols / Glen Phillips 4:32
15. "BROTHER - Remix Version"   Dean Dinning / Randy Guss / Joe Hisaishi / Todd Nichols / Glen Phillips 4:15
Total length:
49:39

Production

Impressed with Europeans' interest in yakuza, Kitano wrote what he described as an old-fashioned yakuza film. To greater contrast the character against more familiar elements, he set it in a foreign country, choosing Los Angeles as a place-holder. When producer Jeremy Thomas asked Kitano if he was interested in foreign productions, Kitano told him about the script. Thomas promised him complete creative control, which Kitano said he got. Commenting on the differing styles of filmmaking, Kitano said that American productions are more focused on the business side and are less sentimental. Kitano cited their strong pride in their professionalism as positive aspect.[5]

Release

Several scenes were censored for the U.S. release.[6]

Reception

At the time of its release, Brother was hyped as Kitano's vehicle for breaking into the United States film market. The film has a 47% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 73 reviews.[7] Roger Ebert, who has praised all of Kitano's films he has seen, complimented Kitano in his review but ultimately rated the film two out of four stars, writing that "Brother is a typical Kitano film in many ways, but not one of his best ones."[8]

On his side, Kitano stated in an interview that he was not fully satisfied with the final result of Brother and that he regretted his "Hollywood" adventure which was supposed to bring him a broader audience with a higher exposure. Kitano said he had no intention of shooting outside Japan again.[this quote needs a citation]

References

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  2. The New York Times
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External links

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