This edgy film is Japanese actor/director
Kitano "Beat" Takeshi's first major cinematic statement, and still holds up well
more than a decade later. Takeshi is the titular character, a Dirty Harry-style
law enforcer whose antics are even more out of place in straight-laced Tokyo than
Clint Eastwood's were in liberal San Francisco. In between running over escaping
criminals and browbeating his subordinates, he struggles to care for his mentally
handicapped sister, but the professional and personal collide when he pursues
a drug dealer as ruthless and amoral as he is. It all comes together in a bloody,
tragic ending which is as far from modern-day Hollywood as one can get. Here,
one finds all the elements which grace Takeshi's films: jarring moments of violence
mixed with deadpan, almost absurdist humor -- it's easy to overlook the fact that
Takeshi was a famed television comedian before his rise to film stardom -- and
undercurrents of sadness and regret. With his shambling walk, irascible temperament
and stoic expressions, Takeshi is a unique screen presence, and while his later
masterpieces (Sonatine, Fireworks) are more personal and idiosyncratic,
Violent Cop serves as an excellent introduction to his work with its more
conventional storyline. Sadly, the DVD itself is a real mess: jitters and moire
effects galore render it almost unwatchable. If you can tolerate the presentation,
it's worth the rental. Comes with English subtitles and cast filmographies.