Search - Fireworks on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Content Advisory: Graphic Violence, Not For Children, Adult Language, Adult Humor Movie Release: 1997 DVD Release: 06/27/2000 Format: DVD - Letterbox for TV Audio Tracks: Japanese Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 43 mins Studio: New Yorker Video Members Wishing: 7 Genres: Drama, Road Movie, Crime Drama

Actor and auteur Takeshi Kitano (who in Japan also uses the stage name "Beat" Takeshi, primarily for his work as a television comedian) wrote, directed, edited, and starred in this unusual crime drama. Nishi (Takeshi Kitano) is a policeman whose emotions seem to run only on two extreme paths -- either quiet contentment or brutal rage. Nishi's life is falling apart around him; his daughter was murdered, his wife, Miyuki (Kayoko Kishimoto), is dying of leukemia, his partner, Horibe (Ren Osugi), was ambushed by thugs after Nishi left him to visit his wife in the hospital and will now spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair, and another cop was killed coming to Horibe's rescue. Nishi desperately wants to quit his job so he can spend more time with his dying wife, so he borrows a large sum of money from the yakuza (the Japanese mafia) and takes up a career as a painter while he cares for Miyuki. Not wanting to stay in debt to the gangsters, Nishi engineers a daring bank robbery (using his police uniform and an old auto disguised to look like a squad car) and uses the loot to pay off the yakuza and take his wife on a final vacation. However, the loan sharks are not eager to have Nishi off the hook, and they begin complaining that he still owes them interest on their loan. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Beat Takeshi Kitano - Nishi
Kayoko Kishimoto - Miyuki
Ren Osugi - Horibe
Susumu Terajima - Nakamura
Tetsu Watanabe - Tesuka

Takeshi Kitano (aka Beat Takeshi) directed and stars in this stylish exercise in violence, which has been given a quality presentation for its release on North American DVD. Fireworks has been transferred to disc in letterboxed format at the widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1, while the audio has been mastered in Dolby Digital 5.1. The dialogue is in Japanese, with optional subtitles in English. Bonus materials on this edition include biographies and filmographies for the key cast members, a gallery of production art, a short documentary on the making of the film, Japanese and American trailers for the picture, and links to related Internet websites. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide