Brother

Movie / Show Details

Amazon.com

It’s hard to describe the hypnotic authority of director and actor Takeshi Kitano. In his first American venture, Brother, Kitano plays a yakuza who’s been exiled from Japan after the death of his boss. In Los Angeles, he discovers that his half-brother has become a small-time hood. Kitano quickly takes over, casually setting in motion gang wars and killing sprees. But a basketball game gets as much emphasis as an assassination; Kitano’s camera watches a dead body lit up by the flash of gunshots, completely ignoring the shootout that’s causing the light. Yet his movies don’t seem arty, just efficient–and effective: you may not know whether to laugh or flinch, but you will not stop watching. As an actor, Kitano slouches, twitches, and stares blankly–but you won’t stop watching him either. If you like Brother, check out Fireworks and Sonatine; gangsters will never seem the same. –Bret Fetzer

Product Description

Brother is the story of a displaced yakuza gangster (played by Kitano), whose crime family is annihilated in a Tokyo gang war. He flies to LA in search of his brother. Stranded in an unfamiliar culture, he strikes up an unlikely friendship with a young hustler (Epps), as they engage in a violent struggle to take over the down-town LA drug turf.