Puppet Master

Carol Murphy interviews the formidable Takeshi Kitano about his career and latest film Zatoichi.

He shook my hand like he would any other, with equal measure of humility and indifference. I shook his hand like I could only when meeting Takeshi Kitano, with equal measure of fear and awe. He is smaller than me and at 5' 5" that's not all that tall but behind and in front of the camera he has a magnitude that is formidable. If you only knew him from Takeshi's Castle on Sky what would it matter? I dare say he wouldn't give a damn. Director, actor, screenwriter, novelist, essay writer, film editor, poet, painter, musician, game show host, stand up comedian, and even tap dancer, 'Beat' Takeshi Kitano straddles Japanese popular culture with the ease of walking over cracks on a pavement.

Kitano first entered show business in the 70's in Japan as part of a comedy duo called The Two Beats, and as an actor is credited as 'Beat' Takeshi. Since his directorial debut Violent Cop in 1989 the demand of his deadpan and impenetrable presence has anchored films such as Sonatine (1989) and Hana Bi (1997) to name a few. But he has been acting in feature films since appearing opposite David Bowie and winning international attention for his part in Nagisa Oshima's Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence. Even when Kitano remains behind the camera the presence of this fecund polymath does not fail to penetrate the celluloid. Dolls (2002) did not feature his trademark use of extreme violence but the slow camera work, existential yakuza dilemma, distance, black humour, doomed love, empty signs and the existence of strong characters inhabiting traditionally humble corporeality, guaranteed Takeshi territory.

Kitano has revived the cult period classic of Japan's most loved popular icon of the past 40 years. He inherits and inhabits the role of Zatoichi, a blind masseur and itinerant gamble who wanders from village to village in 19th Century Japan. Several characters in Zatoichi hide behind veneers of humility and in this Zatoichi is no different. With his intense sense of smell and hearing, his sword tucked in his red cane and with the deft skills of a lightning fast master swordsman he proves to be a worthy opponent of any Samurai, Yakuza or Ronin.

The full article is printed in Film Ireland 97