Violent Cop

Violent Cop is a critically acclaimed movie that was released in 1989, marking the directorial debut of Takeshi Kitano, a titan in the Japanese film industry. The film features Kitano himself in the lead role, flanked by Maiko Kawakami and Makoto Ashikawa in significant roles. Strikingly composed and uncompromisingly harsh, Violent Cop presents an interesting blend of themes such as crime, corruption, family, and morality, set against the backdrop of Tokyo's gritty underbelly. The movie marries elements from the yakuza crime genre with social drama, packaged in the mode of a classic policier.

Takeshi Kitano plays the role of Detective Azuma, a loose cannon police officer who is notorious for his brutal methods. He's your quintessential renegade cop who uses brute force to take down the ruthless criminals who have established their dominance in his city. Violent Cop paints Azuma as a hard-boiled protagonist, unabashedly aggressive who would not hesitate to bend the rules for the greater good. It's a character defined by his stoic exterior and fiery passion to ensure justice.

Maiko Kawakami and Makoto Ashikawa play significant roles that help to establish the personal and professional life of Azuma. The plot gets a lot more personal when Azuma's mentally ill sister, played by Kawakami, gets mixed up with the local yakuza. Meanwhile, Ashikawa plays the role of Detective Iwaki, a young, motivated cop who is assigned as Azuma's partner. Their relationship is one of the key focal points of the film, offering a contrast to Azuma’s hatred for criminals and his disregard for procedure.

The film is very much a character study around Detective Azuma, but it is also a commentary on corruption and its effects on society. It portrays the ferocity of Azuma’s personal vendetta against crime, but also highlights the futility of one man’s struggle against a systemic problem in the face of police corruption and bureaucratic inertia.

Violent Cop revels in its seedy, grimy atmosphere vividly encapsulated by widescreen, moody shots of Tokyo. The city photographed by Yasushi Sasakibara has a lived-in, unlaundered look, home to snitches, drug peddlers and corrupt coppers. The mise-en-scene imbues the story with a tangible feeling of desperation and hopelessness, delivering a gritty, unflinching look at not just the underbelly of Tokyo, but also the compromised public institutions.

Complementing the film's hard-edged visuals is the music composed by Daisaku Kume that subtly embeds itself, creating a chilling aura of menace. In the quieter, more contemplative moments, the score is sparse or completely absent, allowing the natural sounds innumerably heightening the emotional and psychological resonance of the movie.

The film’s storyline is punctuated with flashes of extreme, brutal violence, hinting at the title. The violence is brutal and shocking, never gratuitous or stylized, further cementing Violent Cop’s place as one of the more gripping and harsh portrayals of police procedure in Japanese cinema. The movie doesn't shy away from scenes of graphic violence, but Kitano's direction ensures that the film never feels unnecessarily exploitative. Instead, these scenes serve to showcase the lengths Azuma is willing to go to achieve justice, reinforcing the desperate, all-or-nothing atmosphere of the film.

Throughout the film, Kitano’s signature stylistic elements take root. His love for sudden eruptions of violence from stillness, composed and methodical storytelling that unfolds in beautifully framed wide shots, and his knack for wrapping intense themes in dark humor, all are evident here.

In conclusion, Violent Cop heralds the arrival of Takeshi Kitano as a powerful voice in movie-making. It’s a showcase of Kitano's versatility as an actor and a director due to his admirable work on both sides of the camera. Violent Cop is both a grim, endorsing exploration of the blurred lines between the law and criminality, and a captivating character study of a man at war with not only the rampant criminal underworld but also his personal demons. A must-watch for anyone looking for a different take on the classic rogue cop narrative.