By Steve Ryfle
Story
Masao (Yusuke Sekiguchi) spends his summer vacation running away from
home and searching for the mother he never knew. A nosy neighbor sends
her no-good husband, Kikujiro (Beat Takeshi), to look after the boy, but
instead causes more trouble as the two hitchhike, gamble and swindle
their way across Japan. Along the way, the pair encounter a bizarre
collection of characters, transforming the film into a sort of kooky
Asian "Wizard of Oz.
Acting
The players rise to the challenge of a script sparse in dialogue,
effectively conveying character through expression and making the film
less dependent on its subtitles. Young Sekiguchi is especially
captivating, employing few words and a face cuter and rounder than
Pikachu. Sekiguchi’s performance equals the fine young thespians in
foreign faves "Ponette" and "Ma Vie en Rose." Takeshi is alternately
sleazy and funny as the bumbling custodian, neglecting and exploiting
his charge, while sincerely caring. Mercifully, he never succumbs to the
curmudgeon-with-a-heart-of-gold cliché plaguing too many Hollywood
dramas. Despite decades of age difference, the duo gel onscreen for this
effective and unusual buddy movie
Direction
Writer/director/editor Takeshi Kitano unfurls his story slowly, possibly
turning off blockbuster-bred American audiences. (If it’s mainstream
you’re looking for, it’s unlikely you’d be cooling your heels for two
hours in front of a Japanese-language film.) Kitano rewards the patient
with believable characters, comical moments and a rarely seen look at
modern Japan free of high-tech terror, flashy city lights and
generational family conflicts