Kitano and the zen of acting - "Kikujiro"

I've moaned on here about TV but every now and then there's something that makes me incredibly glad to have a set. Tonight was one of those occasions.

As part of their weekly world cinema strand BBC4 showed "Kikujiro no natsu", an off-beat Japanese road-movie homage to The Wizard of Oz. Directed by, written by AND starring the unique talent that is Takeshi Kitano.



In case you don't know who Kitano is, picture a man who has been half of a comedy double act, a singer, a fiction, script and poetry writer, a director, a painter, a TV gameshow host and an actor......and has nailed the target on every single one of them without question. The western world has nobody that comes close - that's a big statement but still probably undersells the mans ability.

I'm a big fan - can you tell.

A young child, Masao, goes in search of his mother with the help of brash, loudmouth Kikujiro (Kitano) and this is simply the story of the journey from a to b.

Yusuke Sekiguchi, the child involved, doesn't for a minute give off that pretentious child-actor stench given to many in a role like that. Personally, I find it rare in films that the children don't give a case for a minimum age limit in the acting profession but this is one of them.

The 50,000 yen given to Kitano for the journey goes on prostitutes, gambling and junk food within a short time of setting out - for example his chosen gamble, a cyclist, crashes and things go downhill from there.

What follows features an attempted abduction of the child by a paedophile, two bikers, car theft, violence, hitchiking - yes, this is a light heartwarming comedy, trust me.

Kitano is on blinding form - yet again he displays the acting equivalent of putting on Joe90 glasses - he doesn't act a part, he just is - a lightness of touch even in the toughest of characters. Playing a man in a pink rubber ring learning to swim, especially with a huge Yakuza tattoo on his back, is a tough part to play for anybody - not for Kitano.

He's bumbling, thoughtless and stupid but always with an air that he could change at the drop of a word. Imagine Norman Wisdom as a Reservoir Dog in an episode of a Sunday afternoon TV comedy and you'll be close. You can just sense his untold past weighing on him through the entire film but without a single mention of it. Genius as ever.

When Hollywood does a film on relationships, family and generational divides it's a rare one that makes it outside the cloyingly obvious cliches and, if you will, proverbial sick bucket. When "Beat" Kitano handles one it's light, subtle, gentle and remarkably poignant.

Somebody texted me to ask how the movie was (Welcome to my Blog, Mr Fagan!) and I replied "A gentle, touching road movie full of humour and emotion - none of that Hollywood crap"

Says it all really.

Go here to get details or here to buy it.

Don't be afraid of subtitles, they are your friend.