Takeshi Kitano (born 1947) is a Japanese film director, actor, comedian and author, often credited as Beat Takeshi. He is known for films that mix terse violence, long silences and moments of delicate melancholy.

Reviews and public sources highlight Kitano's recurring motifs (sea, silence, melancholy), his work with composer Joe Hisaishi, and his films about Yakuza and outsiders. His style blends stark violence with poetic framing.

DeBaser reviews highlight Kitano's recurring themes: silence, the sea, melancholy and ritualized violence. Critics praise his austere framing, sparse dialogue and use of music (notably Joe Hisaishi). Work ranges from black comedy to brutal Yakuza drama, often blending tenderness with brutality.

For:Fans of Japanese cinema, arthouse and crime/drama films, and readers who appreciate poetic melancholy mixed with brutality.

 Happiness is a flower that explodes in a firework that seemed would never burst.

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 A masterpiece, not the only one by the Japanese Master. A ranking in this sense is impossible

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 The human comedy is no longer a representation, Takeshi captures the essence by not telling and lets the "everything happens" flow without considerations, it's up to us to get impregnated by this stardust and seek an osmosis with Silver Surfer, in spite of the polluted sea of Yokosura.

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