Mr. Kitano directed, edited and wrote Brother -- and his style of close-to-the-vest brutality travels extremely well.
70
L.A. WeeklyManohla Dargis
L.A. WeeklyManohla Dargis
Brother is a solid return to gangster form for Kitano, who knows how to transcend the most overly familiar genre clichés without betraying the rules of engagement.
70
Chicago ReaderLisa Alspector
Chicago ReaderLisa Alspector
A wizard at manipulating time, Kitano introduces staccato elements that interrupt the meditative pace even as they help set it.
60
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Delivers some powerful emotional wallops alongside the chopsticks-up-the-nose violence, and manages the remarkable feat of making venerable American genre conventions seem eerily alien.
50
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Enough odd twists to be mildly interesting.
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
A typical Kitano film in many ways, but not one of his best ones. Too many of the killing scenes have a casual, perfunctory tone.
38
New York PostJonathan Foreman
New York PostJonathan Foreman
Takeshi's elliptical directorial style here is overwhelmed by the script's crudeness and lack of narrative power.
38
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
Wretch of a B movie.
20
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Watching this movie, you also have to ask yourself: Just how many acts of self-inflicted finger amputations do I really want to see?