Boiling Point
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Dankan, Eri Fuse, Kengakusha Akiyama, Makoto Ashikawa, Rakkyo IdeDVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); Japanese (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Color, DVD, Letterboxed, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 96 minutes
Published: 1999-12-01
DVD Release Date: 1999-12-07
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Fox Lorber
Movie Reviews of Boiling Point
Movie Review: An Underrated Masterpiece in the Kitano Catalogue
Summary: 5 Stars
Unfortunately "Boiling Point" seems to have been cast aside not only by the Asian Action fans to whom it has been incorrectly marketed, but also by some fans of Kitano's other films. The first of these is sad but expected, but as a huge fan of Kitano's work I fail to understand the disinterest in this film by people who already like Kitano.
The reason being; "Boiling Point" is really fantastic. Some have criticized its slow pace, but to me that is one of Kitano's strengths. It could be said to be a matter of taste, but I love the meditative quality of most of Kitano's films, and this one has a certain serenity that really hits home. It has a lonely feel, a feeling that mimics the main and reinforces the perspective of the main character. The pace of the film overall is that of a slow start building momentum to a sudden climax. It is almost a Heart of Darkness kind of story, a journey to the dark side, from apathy and social weakness to senseless violence.
To me this film also showcases Kitano's signature bizarre comedic moments, mainly manifested in his character. The comedy mingles very closely with moments of drama and violence. Ultimately the film is a satire, a critical look at characters who see violence and aggression as a means of control and self-empowerment, and the bitter and ironic results.
Anyway, please see this film! It is amongst Kitano's very best.
Summary of Boiling Point
Japanese TV star, comedian, and sophomore director "Beat" Takeshi Kitano added screenwriter to his r?©sum?© for his second feature, the offbeat story of meek, passive gas station attendant and benchwarming minor-league baseball player Masaki (Masahiko Ono), who finally rebels against the insults and abuse. His timing couldn't be worse, however, for he lashes out against an ill-mannered yakuza soldier. When the local crime boss embarks on a campaign of harassment and beatings aimed at Masaki's coworkers and baseball teammates, Masaki flies off to Yokohama to buy a gun, and falls in with a charismatic but brutal gangster (Takeshi) who has his own score to settle with the yakuza. Perhaps Kitano's most oblique film, "Boiling Point" is made up primarily of digressions, notably the rambling middle, where Takeshi's disgraced mobster takes Masaki and his pal on a tour of local nightlife, a sequence of pokerfaced gags and dry, ironic humor twisted around Takeshi's brutal, misogynist antics. The film lacks the drive and compelling narrative of Takeshi's other gangster pictures (notably his masterpiece, "Sonatine", which revives many of the cinematic ideas first explored in this film), but rises to life in some astounding sequences: a flashforward delivered as an adrenaline rush of images, the chilling yet comic eruption of a bouquet of flowers, and an underplayed apocalyptic climax, followed by a tender coda. "--Sean Axmaker"Japanese TV star, comedian, and sophomore director "Beat" Takeshi Kitano added screenwriter to his résumé for his second feature, the offbeat story of meek, passive gas station attendant and benchwarming minor-league baseball player Masaki (Masahiko Ono), who finally rebels against the insults and abuse. His timing couldn't be worse, however, for he lashes out against an ill-mannered yakuza soldier. When the local crime boss embarks on a campaign of harassment and beatings aimed at Masaki's coworkers and baseball teammates, Masaki flies off to Yokohama to buy a gun, and falls in with a charismatic but brutal gangster (Takeshi) who has his own score to settle with the yakuza. Perhaps Kitano's most oblique film, Boiling Point is made up primarily of digressions, notably the rambling middle, where Takeshi's disgraced mobster takes Masaki and his pal on a tour of local nightlife, a sequence of pokerfaced gags and dry, ironic humor twisted around Takeshi's brutal, misogynist antics. The film lacks the drive and compelling narrative of Takeshi's other gangster pictures (notably his masterpiece, Sonatine, which revives many of the cinematic ideas first explored in this film), but rises to life in some astounding sequences: a flashforward delivered as an adrenaline rush of images, the chilling yet comic eruption of a bouquet of flowers, and an underplayed apocalyptic climax, followed by a tender coda. --Sean Axmaker
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