Takeshi Kitano
Takeshi Kitano (北野 武, Kitano Takeshi, born January 18, 1947), also known in Japan as Beat Takeshi (ビートたけし, Bīto Takeshi), is a Japanese comedian, actor, and filmmaker. While he is known primarily as a comedian and TV host in his native Japan, he is better known abroad for his work as a filmmaker and actor as well as TV host.
Kitano rose to prominence in the 1970s as one half of the comedy duo Two Beat, before going solo and becoming one of the three biggest comedians in the country. After several small acting roles, he made his directorial debut with 1989's Violent Cop and garnered international acclaim for Sonatine (1993). He was not widely accepted as an accomplished director in Japan until Hana-bi won the Golden Lion in 1997. In October 2017, Kitano completed his Outrage crime trilogy with the release of Outrage Coda. He is also known internationally for hosting the game show Takeshi's Castle (1986–1990) and starring in the film Battle Royale (2000).
| Known For | Directing |
|---|---|
| Most Rating | 12.038 |
| Birthday | 1947-01-18 |
| Place of Birth | Tokyo, Japan |
| Also Known As | Такэси Китано, Beat Takeshi, Такеши Китано, 기타노 타케시, 비트 타케시, "Beat" Takeshi Kitano, บีท ทาเกชิ, |
2003
Zatoichi
7.2/847
Blind traveler Zatoichi is a master swordsman and a masseur with a fondness for gambling on dice games. When he arrives in a village torn apart by war...
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Zatoichi
2000
Brother
7.1/462
A Japanese Yakuza gangster's deadly existence in his homeland gets him exiled to Los Angeles, where he is taken in by his little brother and his broth...
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Brother
2000
Battle Royale
7.289/3365
In the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill each other under the revolutionary "Battle Roy...
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Battle Royale
2003
Battle Royale II: Requiem
4.9/471
It's three years after the events of the original Battle Royale, and Shuya Nanahara is now an internationally-known terrorist determined to bring down...
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Battle Royale II: Requiem
1999
Kikujiro
7.5/515
Brash, loudmouthed and opportunistic, Kikujiro is the unlikely companion for Masao who is determined to see the mother he has never met. The two begin...
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Kikujiro
2005
Takeshis'
6/77
Beat Takeshi lives the busy and sometimes surreal life of a showbiz celebrity. One day he meets his blond lookalike named Kitano, a shy convenience st...
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Takeshis'
1999
Taboo
6.5/105
Set during Japan's Shogun era, this film looks at life in a samurai compound where young warriors are trained in swordfighting. A number of interperso...
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Taboo
2004
Blood and Bones
6.5/49
In 1923, teenager Kim Shun-Pei moves from Cheju Island, in South Korea, to Osaka, in Japan. Along the years, he becomes a cruel, greedy and violent ma...
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Blood and Bones
2007
Glory to the Filmmaker!
6.3/50
Takeshi Kitano plays a version of himself in which he's a struggling director cycling through a number of different genres in an effort to complete hi...
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Glory to the Filmmaker!
1993
Sonatine
7.5/624
Murakawa, an aging Tokyo yakuza tiring of gangster life, is sent by his boss to Okinawa along with a few of his henchmen to help end a gang war, suppo...
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Sonatine
1983
Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence
7.3/453
Island of Java, 1942, during World War II. British Major Jack Celliers arrives at a Japanese prison camp, run by the strict Captain Yonoi. Colonel Joh...
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Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence
2008
Achilles and the Tortoise
7/97
Machisu is a painter. He never had the success he thinks he is entitled to. Regardless of this, he always remains trying to be successful. His wife Sa...
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Achilles and the Tortoise
1990
Boiling Point
6.9/200
Masaki, a baseball player and gas-station attendant, gets into trouble with the local Yakuza and goes to Okinawa to get a gun to defend himself. There...
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Boiling Point
1989
Violent Cop
7.219/372
A detective breaks all rules of ethical conduct while investigating a colleague’s involvement in drug pushing and Yakuza activities.
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Violent Cop
1995
Gonin
6.7/52
Five men plot to steal a large sum of money from the local yakuza, but everything does not go as planned and the men find themselves hunted down by co...
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Gonin
1995
Johnny Mnemonic
5.8/1340
In a dystopian 2021, Johnny is a data trafficker who has an implant that allows him to securely store data too sensitive for regular computer networks...
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Johnny Mnemonic
2010
Outrage
6.906/420
When a tough yakuza gangster is betrayed by his bosses, it means all out war. Bodies pile up as he takes out everyone in his way to the top in a bruta...
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Outrage
In Your Blood: Hoki Naiden
0/0
Since his childhood, Takahiro Ashiya is gifted with a very strong sixth sense, allowing him to have flash precognition, and sometimes, when feeling un...
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In Your Blood: Hoki Naiden
2023
Kubi
6.8/19
Lord Oda Nobunaga plans to control Japan where rival warlords battle by waging war against several clans. His vassal Araki Murashige stages a rebellio...
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Kubi
1995
Getting Any?
5.7/73
While pursuing his dream of having car sex, a goofy middle-aged man makes all the wrong moves and ends up enrolling in a number of crazy escapades.
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Getting Any?
1998
Tokyo Eyes
6.6/24
The police are tracking a man who shoots at people. But the young sister of a detective finds that he's not the mad vigilante portrayed in newspapers.
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Tokyo Eyes
2014
Morning
8/18
A pensioner takes a walk in the park.
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Morning
1986
No More Comics!
6/6
Stuck doing show-biz schlock, an investigative reporter stumbles on a scheme to swindle pensions through an attractive gold futures scam, a potential...
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No More Comics!
2012
Bergmans video
6.2/5
In the sixties, Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman (1918-2007) built a house on the remote island of Fårö, located in the Baltic Sea, left Stockholm and...
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Bergmans video
1985
Jesus' Ark
0/0
One-episode drama starring Beat Takeshi depicting the turbulent life of the protagonist Takeyoshi Sengoku, based on the "Jesus' Ark Incident".
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Jesus' Ark
2004
Arakimentari
6.3/16
A look at the life and work of Japanese photographer Nobuyoshi Araki and his impact on Japanese culture.
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Arakimentari
1983
The Crimes of Kiyoshi Ōkubo
0/0
Arrested and interrogated by the police for a murder, Kiyoshi Ōkubo remembers his past and ends up confessing to several murders. Inspired by the true...
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The Crimes of Kiyoshi Ōkubo
2012
Beyond Outrage
7/255
As the police launch a full-scale crackdown on organized crime, it ignites a national yakuza struggle between the Sanno of the East and Hanabishi of t...
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Beyond Outrage
1983
The Mosquito on the Tenth Floor
6.7/3
A lower-middle-class policeman lives decadently, chasing cheap beer and girls at the same time he's running from loan sharks and his personal expectat...
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The Mosquito on the Tenth Floor
2012
Dearest
6.8/12
The posthumous wish of Eiji's wife is for her ashes to be scattered in the ocean near her hometown. Eiji also learns that his wife letter for him at t...
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Dearest
1985
Demon
7.7/4
Shuji was once a feared member of the Yakuza crime syndicate, but he's reformed his ways, abandoned his old life and left the city for a small coastal...
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Demon
2016
Doctor X: Gekai Daimon Michiko Special
6/1
Kojiro Himuro is a champion figure skater taking part in an upcoming world competition. Yet, he is suffering from a complicated CTEPH (chronic thrombo...
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Doctor X: Gekai Daimon Michiko Special
2001
Shooting Film is Battleground: Making of BATTLE ROYALE
0/0
The late Kinji Fukasaku directed "Battle Royale" - his 60th movie - at the age of 70. This film follows the shooting of the film.
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Shooting Film is Battleground: Making of BATTLE ROYALE
2003
The Final Battleground — Making of Battle Royale II
0/0
Prolific director Kinji Fukasaku died suddenly during the production of Battle Royale 2. His son and screenwriter Kenta took over as director and comp...
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The Final Battleground — Making of Battle Royale II
2010
Kikoku
3.5/2
An unscheduled late night train arrives at Tokyo station on 15 August, the anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II. Boarding the train are sp...
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Kikoku
2004
Izo
6/91
Izo is an assassin in the service of a Tosa lord and Imperial supporter. After killing dozens of the Shogun's men, Izo is captured and crucified. Inst...
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Izo
1999
Zankyo
0/0
The story of Iwaki, a young brawler who becomes a professional criminal when he joins a Yakuza clan.
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Zankyo
1992
Erotic Liaisons
4.5/2
A low-key private detective agency in Paris is run by Rie and her lover and partner Kishin, two ex-pats who tick along between cases by giving guided...
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Erotic Liaisons
2000
The 300 million yen robbery
0/0
The 300 million yen robbery (San Oku En Jiken), also known as the 300 million yen affair or incident,was the single largest heist in Japanese history...
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The 300 million yen robbery
1999
Kiseki Taiken! Anbiribabō: Kyōfu Eizō Kaiki Shashin Korekushon
0/0
This is a video version of the ghost photo feature that caused a sensation on the popular variety show "Kiseki Taiken! Anbiribabō" a popular variety s...
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Kiseki Taiken! Anbiribabō: Kyōfu Eizō Kaiki Shashin Korekushon
1999
Kiseki Taiken! Anbiribabō: 1999 Nostradamus Senritsu no Daiyogen Mysterious Unbelievable
0/0
This is a video version of "The Great Prophecy of Nostradamus" aired on Fuji Television Network's "Kiseki Taiken! Anbiribabō" aired on Fuji Television...
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Kiseki Taiken! Anbiribabō: 1999 Nostradamus Senritsu no Daiyogen Mysterious Unbelievable
1990
Hoshi wo tsugu mono
0/0
An old man falls into a coma and dreams about his childhood during WWII.
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Hoshi wo tsugu mono
2015
Ryuzo and the Seven Henchmen
6.3/54
Ryuzo and his 7 former henchmen are all retired yakuza, but they now live as regular old men. One day, Ryuzo becomes the victim of a phishing fraud. H...
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Ryuzo and the Seven Henchmen
2017
Plankton Salesmen
0/0
A nostalgic look at the birth and death of arthouse film distribution in the early 2000s in Russia. The story of the Cinema Without Borders company a...
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Plankton Salesmen
2014
Seicho Matsumoto's Black Gospel
4/2
In 1959, a body of a flight attendant of an international airline is found, strangled. Detective Rokuro Fujisawa takes charge of the investigation wit...
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Seicho Matsumoto's Black Gospel
2015
Mozu The Movie
6.8/13
Lone wolf detective with an enormous personal grievance seeks to connect the mysterious death of his daughter to an urban legend of a villain who terr...
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Mozu The Movie
1988
The Boss' Wife
5/2
The widow of a murdered yakuza boss serves jail time for attacking the man she believes killed her husband. After her release, as she is shadowed by a...
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The Boss' Wife
2015
Aka Medaka
7.9/9
One of the hottest selling tickets in town is to see the hugely popular “rakugoka”, or comic storyteller, Danshun. Danshun himself was inspired as a l...
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Aka Medaka
2013
Miwa: A Japanese Icon
6.3/6
A legendary entertainer and a pioneer of gay activism, Miwa was born Akihiro Maruyama. As a young singer, Miwa popularized androgyny as a fashion stat...
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Miwa: A Japanese Icon
2016
While the Women Are Sleeping
5.7/15
Kenji and Aya spend their summer days in a Hotel. While she is doing her own thing, he tries to work on his novel. But then a few strange hotel guest...
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While the Women Are Sleeping
1999
Jam Session (The Official Bootleg of Kikujiro)
6.6/5
Documents the events surrounding the making of 'Kikujiro no natsu'.
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Jam Session (The Official Bootleg of Kikujiro)
2017
Ghost in the Shell
6.081/7952
In the near future, Major is the first of her kind: a human saved from a terrible crash, then cyber-enhanced to be a perfect soldier devoted to stoppi...
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Ghost in the Shell
2008
The Monster X Strikes Back: Attack the G8 Summit
4.9/17
When heads of state gather at the G8 summit in Japan, Guilala -- the intergalactic monster that had been banished from the earth in The X from Outer S...
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The Monster X Strikes Back: Attack the G8 Summit
2017
Ghost in the Shell: Hard-Wired Humanity - Making Ghost in the Shell
0/0
An in depth look behind the scenes at the making of the live action Ghost In The Shell. Director Rupert Sanders, along with the cast and crew, take yo...
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Ghost in the Shell: Hard-Wired Humanity - Making Ghost in the Shell
1993
Many Happy Returns
6.8/2
Kazuo encounters a religious group travelling around Japan performing "miracles". He discovers they are fakes, but is intrigued by the showmanship of...
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Many Happy Returns
1992
A Legend of Turmoil
7.5/2
A story about the development of a bright and strong yakuza. Otaki is an old-fashioned respectful yakuza who tries to protect his small yakuza family....
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A Legend of Turmoil
2024
Broken Rage
7.5/1
A hitman named Nezumi fights for his survival when he's caught between the police and yakuza.
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Broken Rage
1999
The Unpredictable Takeshi Kitano
7/1
Jean-Pierre Limosin follows Takeshi Kitano on the set of Kikujiro, films it during an interview with Shiguehiko Hasumi, president of the University of...
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The Unpredictable Takeshi Kitano
2017
Outrage Coda
6.8/167
Five years after the all-out war between the Sanno and Hanabishi crime families, former yakuza boss Otomo works in South Korea for Mr. Chang, a noted...
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Outrage Coda
1980
Makoto-chan
8/1
A series of interconnected vignettes regarding Makoto Sawada, an energetic yet socially inept kindergartner, and his long-suffering family. Makoto str...
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Makoto-chan
1981
The Dump Truck Rascal
5/1
Depicting the turbulent life of truck driver Takashi, his fellow drivers, and the women he meets.
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The Dump Truck Rascal
1981
Manon
0/0
A story about a woman who is a research student of a theater company and the three men who are at the mercy of her.
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Manon
1981
Completely... With That Air!
0/0
This film is Beat Takeshi's first starring role.
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Completely... With That Air!
1985
Joke with a Sorrowful Heart
0/0
This is a sad and beautiful story about a father who is a popular comedian and a son who suffered by an incurable disease.
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Joke with a Sorrowful Heart
1991
Kim's War
0/0
After shooting a gangster in self-defense, Kim Hui Ro takes refuge at a hotel and takes the guest hostages. Realising his position, he invites the pre...
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Kim's War
1992
Dioxin from Fish!
0/0
A black comedy about a former Rock'n'Roll singer, who becomes the mayor of Tokyo.
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Dioxin from Fish!
2002
Kichiku
0/0
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Kichiku
2017
Prison Break
5.8/6
One late night in June 1942, Sakuma Seitaro dangles from the frame of a skylight in an isolation cell in Akita Prison. He forces open the glass window...
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Prison Break
2008
What the War Meant
0/0
The drama stars Beat Takeshi as General Hideki Tojo, who served as Prime Minister of Japan during World War II and was later executed as a war crimina...
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What the War Meant
2016
A Living Promise
0/0
Yuma Nakahara is the CEO of an IT company and he is a workaholic. He is focused only on expanding his company. He receives a phone call from his forme...
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A Living Promise
1969
Go, Go Second Time Virgin
6.7/62
Go, Go, Second Time Virgin is the story of two damned and abused teenagers who meet and fall in mutant love on a Tokyo rooftop. Their only hope is to...
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Go, Go Second Time Virgin
2013
Trespassing Bergman
6.6/27
In the sixties, Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman (1918-2007) built a house on the remote island of Fårö, located in the Baltic Sea, left Stockholm and...
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Trespassing Bergman
2012
A Special Day
6/2
At the 60th anniversary of Cannes Film Festival, 34 famous directors are followed by camera.
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A Special Day
2004
The Golden Cups: One More Time
0/0
A music documentary that traced the trajectory of the authentic real power band "The Golden Cups" born from Yokohama / Honmoku where the US military b...
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The Golden Cups: One More Time
2007
To Each His Own Cinema
6.466/131
Commissioned to mark the 60th anniversary of the Cannes Film Festival, "To Each His Own Cinema" brought together 33 of the world's pre-eminent filmmak...
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To Each His Own Cinema
2014
The 8th Floor
0/0
On the 8th floor of the Fondation Cartier in Paris, Raymond Depardon's film features a minute of silence with eight artists and scientists: David Lync...
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The 8th Floor
2004
Electric Yakuza, Go to Hell!
8/1
Documentary about the Japanese filmmaker Takashi Miike, where we see him attend film festivals, personal influences and of course the study of his mai...
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Electric Yakuza, Go to Hell!
1996
Making-of Kids Return
6/2
Making of Takeshi Kitano's movie Kids Return.
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Making-of Kids Return
2002
Kogoro Akechi vs Kaijin Nijyuu Menso
5/1
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Kogoro Akechi vs Kaijin Nijyuu Menso
2000
Making of 'Battle Royale'
0/0
An abundance of footage from the shooting of Battle Royale and cast and crew discussions.
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Making of 'Battle Royale'
2014
In Between Mountains and Oceans
0/0
Finding their place between the forest and the sea, the Japanese have always felt awe and gratitude toward Nature. Since ancient times, they have nego...
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In Between Mountains and Oceans
1991
Shoko Asahara with Takeshi
0/0
Sect leader of Aum Shinrikyo, known as Shoko Asahara, and Takeshi Kitano meet in an interview.
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Shoko Asahara with Takeshi
1990
KILL THEM ALL
0/0
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KILL THEM ALL
1985
Tokyo Melody: A Film About Ryuichi Sakamoto
7/5
Documentary about the eclectic Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto during the recording sessions for his 1984 album "Illustrated Musical Encyclopedia".
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Tokyo Melody: A Film About Ryuichi Sakamoto
1997
Fireworks
7.679/680
Detective Nishi is relieved from a stakeout to visit his sick wife in hospital. He is informed that she is terminally ill, and is advised to take her...
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Fireworks
2020
Citizen Kitano
7.5/12
Takeshi Kitano is an international icon. We know the actor, the multi-award-winning filmmaker, but many ignore his double personality: the crazy TV st...
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Citizen Kitano
2009
Takeshi's Castle Vol. 1
0/0
Various attacking forces unique to Takeshi's Castle were organized, aiming for "Defeat! Takeshi's Castle" There were many battles. This set gathers th...
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Takeshi's Castle Vol. 1
2007
Dots and Lines
0/0
Jutaro Torikai is a senior detective set to uncover the truth behind an apparent double suicide.
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Dots and Lines
2000
Scenes by the Sea: Takeshi Kitano
0/0
First major English-language documentary profile of the cult Japanese actor/director, Takeshi Kitano. Featuring interviews with many of his regular co...
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Scenes by the Sea: Takeshi Kitano
1982
Summer Secrets
5/2
Two high school girls get mixed up in murder while investigating the disappearance of a classmate.
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