Movieo
Poster for Sonatine

Sonatine

A ferocious man sleeps here.

1993 · 1h 34m · R Action, Crime, Thriller
Directed by Takeshi Kitano

Seen it?

Overview

Murakawa, an aging Tokyo yakuza tiring of gangster life, is sent by his boss to Okinawa along with a few of his henchmen to help end a gang war, supposedly as mediators between two warring clans. He finds that the dispute between the clans is insignificant and whilst wondering why he was sent to Okinawa at all, his group is attacked in an ambush. The survivors flee and make a decision to lay low at the beach while they await further instructions.

Director and cast

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes

Top critics, in their words

All reviews
93%
Tomatometer
Fresh

Sleek, punchy and altogether captivating.

Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
Fresh

Gross and trite as the material is, Kitano shows again that he is an ingenious, purposeful filmmaker.

Stanley Kauffmann, The New Republic
Fresh

It shows how violent gangster movies need not be filled with stupid dialogue, nonstop action and gratuitous gore.

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Fresh

Kitano's haunting elegy to the gangster way of life.

Stephen Holden, New York Times
Rotten

Eliminates the one virtue American action films can legitimately claim -- vitality -- and replaces it with fake- existential claptrap wrapped in an inept narrative.

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

Comments

Talk about the film with other members

More films