Kitano Takeshi's latest movie, Kubi (首) opened in Japanese cinemas last week, and I finally found time today to go and watch it.
The story is set in Japan's Sengoku Period, or the warring states period, and revolves around the people and events leading up to Oda Nobunaga's death at Honnoji Temple. The title "首" is usually used to refer to the neck today, but it can also mean the head, or more specifically, the severed head of someone. And this movie is full of them... and so, if you don't like seeing severed heads, people being beheaded, heads rolling, heads being carried around, heads being thrown, and so on, then this is a movie to avoid.
A movie that runs for 2 hours and 11 minutes, the story portrays ambition, the corrupting nature of power, and how the Sengoku Period was such a chaotic time. A desperate rush to the top, everyone for himself. Loyalty, friendship, family--these are all secondary and can be forsaken for the sake of ambition.
The movie itself has the grand scale of a Kurosawa samurai movie, with big battles. It also has the comic side, with some gags, most likely ad lib, since Takeshi himself started his career as a comedian. But I feel that the gags are there to help balance the otherwise gory and horrifying tale of ambition and death.
Oh, by the way, the movie also depicts sexual relationships between men, a practice that was not uncommon during that period. Those who don't want to see men kissing each other or naked in bed together may want to avoid this show too.
Bottom line, this is a movie that is worth watching on the big screen rather than at home on a TV, because of the scale of action, and I think the impact will be significantly lacking if you watch it on a smaller screen. It needs to be enjoyed with the entire impact that can be delivered in terms of sound and sight at a cinema.
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