Takeshis’ was born from an idea Beat had while filming Sonatine. At first it was called Fractal, and then over the years Beat replaced the main character with himself and titled it Takeshis’. The idea for the film[s] had always been take an every day person and plant them in a surreal situation or set of circumstances and see how they navigate the path before them. In what is clearly his most personal film to date Beat Takeshi takes the viewer on a surreal trip through his own ideas of how his viewers and fans perceive him, the persona of Beat Takeshi as imagined by the actor/director.

Takeshis’ follows an almost incoherent path between conscious and subconscious. As far as narrative styles are concerned Beat’s has always been one of the most unique. This film takes his style to the point of even deconstructing it further into fragmented moments of time and memory and yet still maintaining identifiable triggers. There are a lot of familiar faces in Takeshis’ and scenes and set pieces may have you snapping your fingers trying to remember which film Takeshis’ is self-referencing at each scene change.

For the familiar, Takeshis’ will breathe fresh air into your lungs. For the unfamiliar, the extremely personal nature of the film and very fragmented narrative could hinder enjoyment of the film; if there is enjoyment to be had. Even after filming and editing his own film Beat was surprised by the universe that he created. At his own urging he encourages viewers to ‘feel’ and ‘experience’ the film, and then watch it again before passing any judgment on it. It certainly will take another viewing on my behalf before I can make any sound conclusion about the film.

For the Beat Kitano fan Takeshis’ is a must. For the non-fan may we humbly suggest you do yourself a service and delve into the Beat Kitano catalogue and get to know one of Japan’s great directors before you watch this film and ‘get to know’ Beat Kitano.

Order your copy from Amazon.com or the R2 DVD from YesAsia.com