Brother

Brother
Directed by	Takeshi Kitano
Produced by	Masayuki Mori Jeremy Thomas
Written by	Takeshi Kitano
Starring	Beat Takeshi Omar Epps Claude Maki
Music by	Joe Hisaishi
Distributed by	Shochiku Co., Ltd. Office Kitano Sony Pictures Classics
Release date(s)	July 20, 2001
Running time	American version: 113 min International version: 114 min
Language	English Japanese
Budget	$12 million[citation needed]
Gross revenue	$15,250,594 (INT) [1]

Brother is a 2000 film starring, written, directed and edited by Japanese filmmaker, Takeshi Kitano. It is also his fifth collaboration with renowned Japanese composer Joe Hisaishi. This was also Kitano's first collaboration with designer, Yohji Yamamoto.

The French title for the film is Aniki, Mon Frère (lit. Aniki, My Brother).

Plot

Shot in Los Angeles, California, Kitano plays an exiled Tokyo yakuza who sets up a drug empire in Los Angeles with the aid of his half-brother. But the brother of the title is a local gangster and friend of the half-brother, Denny, played by Omar Epps. Their meteoric rise sees them inevitably clashing with the Mafia.

Cast

• Beat Takeshi - Yamamoto, also referred to as Aniki (meaning elder brother)
• Omar Epps - Denny
• Tetsuya Watari - Jinseikai Boss
• Claude Maki - Ken
• Masaya Kato - Shirase, the "boss of Little Tokyo"
• Susumu Terajima - Kato, Yamamoto's lieutenant
• Royale Watkins - Jay
• Lombardo Boyar - Mo
• Ren Osugi - Harada
• Ryo Ishibashi - Ishihara
• James Shigeta - Sugimoto
• Tatyana Ali - Latifa
• Makoto Otake - Chief of police
• Kouen Okumura - Hanaoka
• Naomasa Musaka - Hisamatsu
• Rino Katase - Night club Madame
• Joy Nakagawa - Marina, Yamamoto's girlfriend
• Amaury Nolasco - Victor

Soundtrack

Brother
Soundtrack by Joe Hisaishi
Released	27 January, 2001
Label	Polygram, Silva America
Alternate cover
Silva America cover

All compositions by Joe Hisaishi.

1. "Drifter... in LAX"
2. "Solitude"
3. "Tattoo"
4. "Death Spiral"
5. "Party (One Year Later)"
6. "On the Shore"
7. "Blood Brother"
8. "Raging Men"
9. "Beyond the Control"
10. "Wipe Out"
11. "Liberation from the Death"
12. "I Love You, Aniki"
13. "Ballade"
14. "Brother"
15. "Brother (Remix version)"

Critical 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. [1] Roger Ebert, who has praised all of Kitano's films he has seen, complimented Kitano in his review, but ultimately denounced the film with a rating of two out of four stars, writing that "Brother is a typical Kitano film in many ways, but not one of his best ones."

On his side, Kitano self-admitted 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. Therefore, Kitano confessed he had no intention of shooting outside Japan anymore.

The theatrical release of Brother in the US (and, therefore, the corresponding Sony Pictures Classics Region 1 DVD) contains a slightly edited version of the film. Approximately one minute of footage was cut, primarily so the film could attain an "R" rating. Most of the edits were for violence, although several key/memorable scenes were edited for time/clarity.

The uncut version of the film was released in the UK (Region 2) with an 18 rating, and Japan (Region 2J), also with a 18 rating.

References

External links

• Brother at the Internet Movie Database
• Brother at Allmovie
• Brother at Box Office Mojo
• Official website
• Brother on Rotten Tomatoes