KnotMissPriceless Why so much hype?

Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

katiemuffett This was an absolute delight from start to finish. Beat Takeshi made me laugh my socks off, and brought tears to my eyes when Kikujiro had poignant moments of insight and pathos. The chemistry between him and little Masao was pitch-perfect throughout the whole film, and the story itself built very naturally and beautifully.My husband and a male friend of ours thought it would be too sappy for them (and opted for Mongol, which I had also rented). Thanks to Takeshi-san and his superb comic sensibility, I can now set their opinions straight.As another user mentioned, this absolutely knocks a film like Lost in Translation out of the runnings. (Coppolla never seems to have grasped anything fully beyond Virgin Suicides anyway) There is something about this particular type of pacing in films that only Japanese directors can achieve. Any attempts by Westerners ends up as a mere pastiche.

DICK STEEL The last Kitano Takeshi movie for the day, Kikujiro is very much unlike the previous two movies. If anyone would think that Takeshi is only famous for, and can make only violent movies, then this one would make you do an about turn. Even the narrative style is quite different from the limited few of his movies I've been exposed to. Being PG rated (Hana-Bi was NC16), the queue of those expected to watch this film was again snaking, even though most of the (free) tickets were already snapped up.The story centers on the deep friendship which develops between a quirky, mean and uncouth middle-aged man, and a young boy. It doesn't start off rosy, as Kikujiro (played by Takeshi himself) gets assigned, against his wishes, chaperon duties to assist and ensure that the young boy Masao (Yusuke Sekiguchi) gets to find his mother. So begins a road trip of sorts, with the duo encountering a host of situations and characters (aren't road trips all like that?)The movie can be seen as two distinct halves, with the first half in my opinion the more superior portion of the film. It centers upon the journey, on the quest to seek out Masao's mother in another county. We get to follow our mismatched duo through various escapades through their hitchhiking adventures, with one involving racing amongst cyclists (in a betting game), which is one of my favourite moments in the story. Everything else afterwards in this half is built up from that one incident, adding much to the comedic aspects that actually, although predictably, bring on some genuine laughs.The second half is perhaps what disappoints, with its introduction of over the top characters in 2 biker gang type guys, and a farmer. Here, the sequence of events sticks out unconvincingly, even though it's possibly trying to tug at your heartstrings and bring back memories of the days of childhood, where you have adults engaging in children's games, just to keep the children entertained. The play acting with strangers take its toil as it wore on, and became a bit of a drag with repetitive childish scenes of play acting. Takeshi isn't adorable, try as he might, and some may cringe at his "act cute" moments. Somehow Yusuke Sekiguchi, who plays Masao, doesn't seem to act cute at all, and I thought it was kind of mirroring real life - imagine between a baby and an adult, who's the one playing the fool most of the time in their interactions with each other?Nonetheless, Kikujiro is still an admirable story on friendship, amongst the unlikeliest of couples, with Kikujiro cutting a father like figure to Masao's little child. Come to think of it, it's like a road trip movie between father and son, and the braving of odds to cement some credible ties by the time the end credits come rolling.

JimmyZappa Beat Takeshi is a talented man. Before Battle Royale, I had the chance to see this film on TV about a boy who wanted to see his father and then later befriends Beat (who is unnamed until the end of the movie) and a couple of bikers.It's very entertaining to see how a grown man and a little boy can get into such mischief. Many of the things they do make you wanna laugh, of course, but you end up getting attached to the characters. And that's where things become intensely emotional from there. Still, it's fun to see an independent film that doesn't take itself so seriously.What helps heightens the moment is the beautiful orchestrated score by Joe Hisaishi. The theme will more than likely leave you in tears by the time you have your fun adventures with Beat and Masao and see them...well, it's best to see for yourself.A stellar film and a must watch.

Conrad Billings From its hauntingly beautiful soundtrack by Joe Hisaishi to the wonderful characters who inhabit Takeshi Kitano's magical Japan - everything in this movie comes together to make this one of modern cinema's truly underrated masterpiece.The story involves a petty thug, Kikujiro, who is coerced into accompanying a young boy, Masao, on his cross country journey to find his birth mother. Along the way they meet a whole host of characters. Some friendly, some mysterious, some quirky, some abrasive, but all of them refreshingly human.A lesser writer or director would have settled for a quick dose of weirdness from the main characters' fellow wanderers, but Takeshi Kitano milks them for all of the depth and endearment that the too few minutes we are graced with their presence allows.If you enjoyed the whimsical, go-nowhere feel of Lost in Translation, you will LOVE this movie. In my opinion Beat Takeshi's efforts blow Sophia Coppola's out of the water.Nine out of ten.