Broken Rage, the review of the experimental film by the legendary director Takeshi Kitano, is available on Prime Video. A seemingly insignificant man, several gangsters and the police: Broken Rage presents itself as a normal film about the yakuza, where crime reigns supreme.
Only to then transform into something else and, from time to time, become a parody of itself. The experimental film by Takeshi Kitano, a Japanese director who has made the yakuza movie his style for decades, directs a new style of cinema capable of flowing into multiple genres and subgenres.
The film, available on Prime Video from February 13, tells the story of "Topo", a silent hitman with the reassuring appearance of a normal man who every day receives letters with precise instructions from his clients: to eliminate their enemies, or people who are not particularly welcome to them.
After one of these errands, “Topo” is captured and arrested by the police who, in exchange for his freedom, make him an offer: to work undercover for them, infiltrate a drug ring and organize a fake deal. Everything is in order if it weren’t for an unexpected twist that turns events upside down, starting all over again.
Broken Rage: when cinema becomes a parody of itself
In an hour of filming, Takeshi Kitano stages a film divided into two. The first part of Broken Rage is a yakuza movie with all the elements of the genre: a murderer, gangsters, the police and Japanese organized crime. The second part of Broken Rage follows the same story but turns everything into a comedy: the scenes are repeated exactly as in the first half of the film, but there is a comic component that leads to the surreal.
The dialogues are completely transformed, as are the words, which become gags and cabaret jokes. Broken Rage is a genre of experimental cinema that changes its shape, becoming a parody not only of the genre but of itself. Kitano tries to change the register but does so by dividing the film into two parts as if the first were the real footage and the second a series of scene errors.
In the middle, there are intervals, just like in the cinema, in which users online complain about the length of the film, and make comments about the actors and characters. In short, we witness a sort of multidimensional film.
When the famous Japanese director presented Broken Rage at the 2024 Venice Film Festival, he said he had ventured into a new style. "If everyone liked it, I would be thrilled." In an hour of the film, everything happens, and yet, at the same time, nothing happens; there is no need to reflect on the actions of this anonymous character - whose name we do not know, nor the motivations that led him to become a hitman for clients, also unknown - who silently grabs the gun and mercilessly kills his targets.
Broken Rage doesn't even convey a moral message, but rather a reflection on how cinema is constantly evolving, and it is right to try to experiment, play with the viewer and involve him as much as possible. This does not mean abandoning the concept of the seventh art, but rather opening up to new genres and forms.
Broken Rage: evaluation and conclusion
Although the stylistic form of Broken Rage is appreciated, it is also true that its narration flows too quickly, and it is impossible to try to delve into its characters. The first half, with the essence of its emotional component, seems to provide almost a background to the character of the hitman.
The second and final part of the film, however, is not interested in pleasing the audience and everything seems thrown in randomly. Broken Rage is a film that yes, is a parody of cinema itself, but it could run the risk of becoming ridiculous if you do not understand how far Takeshi Kitano wants to go.