Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

I watched this movie after having seen HANA-BI which I saw after reading a review by the member "Mangiotto" which I read after I happened to read his review of MAGNOLIA.
I never did understand all the hype about MAGNOLIA and what it was that was so brilliant about it, in spite of some funny scenes featuring among others Tom Cruise which at least entertained me there and then+ maybe 30 minutes of being abit inspired later.

The romantic HANA-BI however, I straight away thought of as a masterpiece, but if you happen to hate it, its probably unlikely you will share my fascination for SONATINE, but maybe you will like it a bit better.

There is certainly something hypnotic about SONATINE...something about the way the whole story progresses, the way the characters come into the picture and how they move about and maybe dissappear for awhile, the way one scene follows another, just like the way the car moves closer to you or away from you on the long sand road in the open landscape(from the film) while the camera is standing still...it all creates the completely dreamlike atmosphere which makes film-freaks like me want to continue beeing film freaks!

But all this display of simply top class filmmaking is here combined with a really tight, clever crime-plot with a equally interesting substory about the conflicts between 3 crime clans.

Even more than that it is a film about the lives of a few guys who have ended up as gangsters and the way the violent gangster life has influenced them, especially the main character Murakawa and his journey through fear, relaxation and playfulness and making conclusions, and the final showdown.

Actually most of the characters are great examples of how many underlying emotions can be shown in practically emotionless faces!
This is also brilliantly displayed, by the way, in the other Takeshi Kitano masterpiece, HANA-BI(Fireworks).
The pace of the film and the way the plot details are presented, even the violence scenes, it is all very understated and minimal.
This is in many ways a film in the stoic spirit, few big words, cold faces, ruthless reactions and the words used being important.

A clear change in the style of the film(change in music, different, brighter colors) is seen at the point the gangsters go out to rest at a beach-house for a few days, a change which goes along with the change in the mood of the guys, as they suddenly turn from hard-boiled, stone-faced gangsters to playful kids making silly jokes and playing beach games.

The way this atmosphere-change is shown is one of the most unique aspects of this film, and a scene where they play a mock-sumo-wrestling game on the beach is very surreal and very brilliant, nothing less than a classic.

The music-score is also right to the spirit of it all and makes the whole feel alot more convincing, without its touch SONATINE would certainly not be what it is.

All in all SONATINE is a film of great depth and power, hard as a strike and soft as a caress, and if you are like me, a fan of the possibilities within the stoic, understated style, the acting is a pure joy to watch.

SONATINE is a masterpiece and a sin to miss, I give it my highest reccomendations!








Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age