Kubi : Takeshi Kitano’s new outrage
Takeshi Kitano’s new feature film opens with the vision of a headless body whose windpipe is devoured by worms. A close-up that immediately sets the tone: his film about samurai will not be in the poetic vein of Dolls AND Achilles and the tortoise. Nor should we seek the thrill of Kikujiro Summer AND The children come back. The director and his alter ego Beat Takeshi return to work to propose an ugly, dirty and unpleasant sight.
Kubi tells of the war in the 16th century between different clan chiefs, led by Lord Oda Nobunaga (Ryo Kase). Cruel and convinced that life is just a vast masquerade, the latter intends to bequeath his power to his two sons. But before him he enjoys maintaining rivalries and does everything to convince some of his subordinates, starting with Akechi Mitsuhide (Hidetoshi Nishijima), to desire him sexually. An attitude that arouses greed and causes many betrayals.
A unique samurai film
The pace and tone of the feature film is sometimes difficult to grasp in the first part, even though the themes are very clear. Takeshi Kitano alternates exchanges in which the ego, cunning and submission of the characters are revealed, and battle scenes in which the director positions his camera so that the viewer does not miss anything in this stupid sequence of massacres and beheadings.
The characters are numerous but they all have the same goal: gain power, even if it means killing and betraying everyone. From the farmer who dreams of becoming a general to the samurai who dreams of taking the throne, everyone dedicates their lives to this ludicrous pursuit and if some achieve this goal, the victory is often very short-lived.
After playing Taboo by Nagisa Ōshima, Takeshi Kitano therefore in turn evokes homosexuality among the samurai, but with much less refinement. The promise of a faithful love is a bait here and sex becomes a weapon as sharp as a sword. The values behind which the characters hide, including loyalty, are just a discourse that is never applied. And if some brave dare to show courage and do not hesitate to sacrifice themselves, they are often mocked by those who have asked them to give their lives.
The first trailer gave hope for a show of fire and blood, in line with references such as Course, The hidden fortress OR Goyokin. This is indeed the case, but the protagonists have nothing noble here, which allows the viewer to shamelessly bet on who will win between Akechi Mitsuhide and Hideyoshi Hashiba, the two smartest and best surrounded samurai. Beat Takeshi offers himself the beautiful role playing Hideyoshi, a prankster farmer who has managed to rise from the rank of him who takes absolutely nothing seriously, and especially not death.
A jubilant release
Takeshi Kitano is therefore extremely satisfied Kubi. After a rather laborious but necessary set-up, full of hilarious and brutal moments, this pleasure becomes ultra communicative.
Fans of chanbaras will be happy to find the two acolytes of The hidden fortress having inspired R2-D2 and C-3PO, who here do not hesitate to kill each other out of greed. They will also appreciate the fact that the coating principle of kagemusha, sent to protect a clan chief, taken to excess to the point where the assassins themselves no longer fall into the trap. Finally, they will undoubtedly appreciate the use of some historical characters, such as the black samurai Yasuke (Jun Soejima), who manages to hold his own. Fans of the director will also be happy to find some emblematic faces from his filmography, including that of Susumu Terajima (Sonata, Aniki my brother), perfect as a ninja who always arrives at the right time.
By defying the codes of the genre, refusing to film battles in a spectacular way to better reflect the disaster and revealing a gallery of characters, each more execrable and cowardly than the last, Takeshi Kitano signs a great feature film with Kubia thousand leagues from the stylized and the dark Zatoichi, thus imposing it immediately as an indispensable complement. An extraordinary new film within an already colossal work.
Kubi by Takeshi Kitano has not no release date yet. The film had its Cannes Premiere premiere at the 76th Cannes Film Festival. Above the trailer. Find all our trailers here.
Source: Cine Serie
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