Yoichi Sai directs Takeshi "Beat" Kitano in this adaptation of the popular Yang Seok-il novel concerning a violent, ruthless family patriarch whose obsession for money destroys all that surrounds him. In 1923, Kim Shun-pei left his home on a remote island south of Korea in order to seek out his fortune in Osaka, Japan. Upon arriving in Japan, Shun-pei faced relentless discrimination while forced to work hard labor under excruciating conditions. Despite the fact that the odds were stacked against him, however, Shun-pei eventually opened a Kamaboko (steamed fish cake) factory using nothing more than his remarkable personal strength and staunch determination. Shun-pei was a cunning and ruthless businessman, and his incredible tyranny extended to his personal life as well. Yet while Shun-pei's obsession with money was the very reason he eventually found success, it would also be his ultimate downfall. Later, as money and the constant quest for wealth overtook every aspect of his life, Shun-pei transforms himself into a vicious loan shark. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Blood and Bones (Japanese: 血と骨; Chi to Hone) is a Japanese film, directed by Yoichi Sai and starring Takeshi Kitano. It is based on the semi-autobiographical novel Chi to hone by Zainichi Korean author Yan Sogiru (Yang Seok-il).
The film opened in Japan on November 6, 2004. The DVD has not yet been released in the UK or USA, but was picked up for distribution by Tartan Video. It was released on DVD in Japan on April 6 and in South Korea on May 16, 2005, it was also released by Madman Entertainment on DVD in Australia.
The film won four Japanese Academy Awards, including Best Actress, Best Director and Best Screenplay, and was nominated in a further eight categories.
Plot
In 1923, the young Kim Shun-Pei moves from Cheju Island, in South Korea, to Osaka, in Japan. Along the years, he becomes a cruel, greedy and violent man and builds a factory of kamaboko, processed seafood products, in his poor Korean-Japanese community exploiting his employees. He makes fortune, abuses and destroys the lives of his wife and family, having many mistresses and children and showing no respect to anybody. Later he closes the factory, lending the money with high interests and becoming a loan shark. His hatred behavior remains until his last breath, alone in North Korea. The film is told from the perspective of Masao, his legitimate son by his abused and degraded wife, who knows nothing about his father other than to fear him.
