kmevy

In a nutshell it is about emotional scars, frustration, anger, violence and revenge. All in all a dangerously vicious cycle. Well, I am simply amazed! I wouldn't go as far and celebrate it as the ultimate masterpiece, which this film is imho not. But it comes very close to it ;)

The presentation is flawless: the fantastic cast & the direction, great choice of music and the jaw-dropping cinematography. One thing that stings me a bit is that the plot maybe goes a bit too far. It's like the developments of the plot are being smacked on the wall with neon colors; risking it to become in parts nearly ridiculous. But still ... being so extreme (and quite surreal) serves the in bold letters written message quite well: Be nice to people, they are a very fragile bunch.

Great film! For me a masterpiece as well. I highly recommend it!

Additional thoughts: From the recent two decades there are many dark Japanese films and animes, which focus on egomania and psychopathy in context with society. Many of them fairly mainstream ones. It seems many people started to feel the downsides of a tightly organized and packed society only after the economy crashed in the 90's. Stress, anxiety and especially the inevitable need to keep silent helped brewing a state of panic and purposelessness in them.

The reason why all these novels, mangas, art exhibits, animes and films etc pop up is probably simply nature. Trying to reverse certain developments, pointing out large areas of society which needs healing. One thing "Confessions" certainly underlines is the need for reliable moral guidance when human beings are small, vulnerable and quite irritable. In a nutshell: the need for love.

Wow. I was pretty surprised. Drive is certainly not your average, fast cheap-shot action film. It takes its time and rightfully so! The pacing is refreshingly smooth and composed, building slowly up to the sporadic and short outbursts of violence or action. There isn't much violence but it is very direct; realistic would be the right word. Especially the use of it is (which is a big plus for me). There is a quite surreal, dreamlike quality to the film. Even though it has a lot of realistic elements, it still doesn't feel entirely real. There is something off, which isn't a bad thing! In that context "A History of Violence" somehow comes to my mind.

The trailers might give a wrong impression; the film is much quieter than they suggest. There is a clip from the opening on youtube, the getaway scene, which gives a much better feeling for the atmosphere.

Anyway, this is really a fantastic production! The cast is very good. They all made up a rock-solid ensemble, great performances! (If you want to see more of great acting by Ryan Gosling, "Blue Valentine" is highly recommended) The minimalistic and tense soundtrack is a perfect fit (maybe sometimes slightly on the overly-sentimental side), the cinematography is excellent(!) and the director; well, I certainly have to write down his name.

All in all it is truly refreshing to see a film which is simple and minimal but at the same time highly effective. That's the reason I give this film a 10; it doesn't need a much more complex story. For me it perfectly managed to reach what it aimed for. There is real focus and concentration, something you rarely come across these days. For me it's a masterpiece, for sure.

Really impressive! It might alienate those, who want constant action and dialog's but for those who like Kitano movies in general will also love this movie.

In each Kitano movie you can feel this quiet and meditative atmosphere; like in Dolls and Hanabi for example.

But i have to say that i am again quite astonished how different Kitano appears in television, as a comedy-punk, in contrast to his own directed and very contemplative movies.

Some adjectives might be able to describe my impression of this movie: quiet, meditative, sad .. and beautiful