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S A P H i R E

PRESENTS: SONATINE (1993)

MOViE iNFORMATiON

[ THEATRE DATE....: 9/10/1993
[ RELEASE DATE....: 11/15/2004
[ STORE DATE......: 11/9/2004
[ GENRE...........: Japanese/Yakuza/Black Comedy
[ RUNTiME.........: 94 Minutes
[ RATiNG..........: 7.5/10
[ NO. SCREENiNGS..: ???

[ ViDEO BiTRATE...: 886 kBit/s XviD at 23.976fps
[ AUDiO BiTRATE...: 148 kBit/s VBR Stereo MP3 at 48KHZ  ]
[ ASPECT RATiO....: 1.82:1
[ RESOLUTiON......: 640x352
[ ARCHiVES........: 1 sph-sonatine.rar *49x15*
[ AVi SiZE........: 700 MB * 717,714 KB * 734,939,136 B ]
[ SUBTiTLES.......: English and Spanish Vobsubs

M O V i E   S U M M A R Y

Acclaimed Japanese filmmaker, comedian, television star, author, and
all-around renaissance man Takeshi "Beat" Kitano stars in this uncon-
unconventional take on the crime drama. Kitano portrays Murakawa, a
successful Yakuza officer who has grown weary of the violent life, so
much so that he has even considered retirement. Thus, he is not pleased
when he is asked to lead a team to help defuse a gang war in Okinawa,
but agrees when he is assured it will be an easy job. It proves anything
but, however, and he soon finds himself in the middle of a complex,
bloody conflict. Fearing that he has been set up, Murakawa withdraws to
a nearby coastal town. The film takes a trademark Kitano turn at this
point, moving away from the standard crime drama plot to focus on what
amounts to a gangster's summer vacation, with the killers playing
frisbee on the beach and taking dancing lessons. Murakawa even finds a
summer romance, falling in love with a local girl who is impressed by
his way with a gun. This sunny idyll cannot last forever, however...

Writer/Director .......  Takeshi Kitano

Takeshi Kitano ........  Aniki Murakawa
Aya Kokumai ...........  Miyuki
Tetsu Watanabe ........  Uechi
Masanobu Katsumura ....  Ryoji
Susumu Terajima .......  Ken
Ren Osugi .............  Katagiri

M O R E  i N F O R M A T i O N

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108188/
RETAIL DVD: http://www.dvdempire.com/Exec/v4_item.asp?item_id=551311
DVD COMPARISON: http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDCompare6/sonatine.htm
MOVIE REVIEW: http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/19980417/REVIEWS/804170306/1023

N O T E S

The Joe Hisaishi score is sublime.

The DVD-R ripper that did this one a couple of years ago was saddled
with the godawful blended R2 UK version of this film. It's been re-
mastered now and looks good. See the DVD comparison link above.

Included as extras are an Intro by Quentin Tarrintino, an Outro by
Quentin Tarrintino, and a conversion with the man himself, Takeshi
Kitano.

ASCii PROUDLY DONE BY: fumita