Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Hana-bi Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 18, 2016

Takeshi Kitano's "Hana-bi" a.k.a. "Fireworks" (1997) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Third Window Films. The supplemental features on the disc an original trailer for the film; archival video interview with Takeshi Kitano; audio commentary by Mark Shilling; and more. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Nishi

Japanese superstar Takeshi Kitano plays a retired cop whose life has become a nightmare. Early in the film a few scattered flashbacks reveal why. In one of them Nishi leaves a stakeout to visit his wife (Kayoko Kishimoto, Kikujiro) in the hospital and one of his partners suffers a serious injury that leaves him paralyzed while another is killed. In a second flashback a doctor suggests that Nishi takes his wife back to their home because she is dying and there is nothing else he and his team can do to help her. A third flashback reveals that Nishi owes a large amount of money to some local gangsters and that they have started harassing him.

In a desperate attempt to ease his wife’s suffering, Nishi quietly robs a bank and then uses a portion of the money to take her on a road trip. For a while the pain seems to disappear and she looks truly happy. Nishi also sends some money to his paralyzed colleague and the wife of his dead colleague. He even pays the money he owes to the gangsters, but after they learn that he has robbed a bank they come back asking for more.

Hana-bi must have surprised a lot of Japanese viewers when it was released theatrically in 1997 because it reveals a very different side of Kitano’s creative personality. Here he plays a calm but unusually violent character who barely speaks, essentially the exact opposite of the bubbly and quite silly TV character that made him a big star in his home country. More importantly, Kitano looks incredibly comfortable with his ‘new’ personality, like a seasoned star who has had a long and very successful career playing diverse characters. (Prior to Hana-bi Kitano was one of the biggest comedians in Japan, but his theatrical work was not well received there. Also, the local critics accepted him as a legit director only after Hana-bi won the Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival).

Despite the violence the film is very fluid and at times strikingly beautiful. When the camera comes close to Nishi and his dying wife one could easily feel the warmth in their relationship; it is authentic and incredibly moving. This is the reason why Nishi’s sporadic outbursts do not seem exaggerated. He is losing the love of his life and even though he is trying hard to suppress his anger occasionally it overwhelms him and he becomes unrecognizable.

Some of the most moving sequences feature long takes and beautiful panoramic shots which create the impression that one is viewing a collection of moving pictures. There are plenty of bright and lush colors but it is the thick blue and its rich nuances that essentially become the foundation for the film’s unique atmosphere.

The wonderful ambient soundtrack from Studio Ghibli composer Joe Hisaishi blends the many polarizing emotions. Beautiful and very gentle chamber pieces are impeccably timed with the visuals and make the film look unusually stylish.

Kitano shot Hana-bi with cinematographer Hideo Yamamoto. His credits also include such genre favorites as Ichi the Killer, The Happiness of the Katakuris, The Grudge, Audition, and Yatterman.

Hana-bi Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Takeshi Kitano's Hana-bi arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Third Window Films.

Depth and clarity are good. The daylight footage, in particular, boasts lovely depth and fluidity, but even some of the nighttime footage looks impressive. Colors are stable throughout the entire film and there is a good range of healthy nuances. Contrast levels remain stable as well. There are no traces of recent compromising digital corrections. Overall image stability is excellent. During the daylight footage some light compression artifacts try to sneak in and my guess is that viewers with large screens will likely spot a few of them, but they do not become distracting. There are no large damage marks, dirt spots, or stains. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Hana-bi Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The upgrade in quality is substantial. Joe Hisaishi's melancholic score is essential for the desired atmosphere and the improved depth and clarity are easily noticeable. The dialog is clean and stable. Dynamic intensity isn't impressive, but separation and balance are excellent. There are no audio dropouts or digital distortions to report in our review.

Hana-bi Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• UK Trailer - original UK trailer for Hana-bi. In Japanese, with imposed English subtitles. (3 min).

• Interview with Director Takeshi Kitano - in this video interview, Takeshi Kitano explains how his TV work helped his theatrical work, why he considers images more important than words, why many of his films are mostly silent, what separates "Beat" Takeshi and Takeshi Kitano and how and when he uses the names, etc. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles. (15 min).

• Director Takeshi Kitano Retrospective - presented here is a collection of original Japanese trailers for early Takeshi Kitano films as well as footage from the shooting of Hana-bi. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles. (28 min).

• Audio Commentary - in this audio commentary, Mark Shilling, a former reviewer for The Japan Times, discusses his early encounters with Takeshi Kitano and the main themes in Hana-bi, the tone and atmosphere of the film, the prominent use of the color blue, the camera positioning and movement, the nature of the relationship between Nishi and Horibe, etc.

• Booklet - illustrated catalog with information about other Third Window Films releases.

Hana-bi Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It should have happened earlier, but it was Hana-bi that legitimized Takeshi Kitano as a director in his home country. It is a very unusual film which at times feels like an exotic project Wim Wenders secretly shot in Japan years ago and then forgot about. I consider it one of Kitano's most moving films. Hana-Bi is now available on Blu-ray via British distributors Third Window Films. It looks good in high-definition, but it could have been encoded better. Nevertheless, consider adding Hana-bi to your collections. RECOMMENDED.