Foreign Pick: Outrage (2010)
I need to confess something—I’m not a huge Beat Takeshi fan. I’d heard great things about the Japanese director, such as the similarities between his style and Clint Eastwood’s (whom I also strongly dislike as a filmmaker), as well as the versatility of his acting.
Two years ago, I bought a bunch of his movies and decided to watch them all in one sitting. Funnily enough, I didn’t make it past his debut film Violent Cop. I found it inadequately paced, dim-witted, and just plain boring for a Yakuza film. The dynamism and visual power that people talked so much about was nowhere to be found, whereas I was deeply unimpressed with Beat Takeshi’s performance—his character might as well have been played by a scarecrow.
Months later, I decided to skip his similarly themed movies (i.e. Fireworks, Boiling Point, Sonatine) and rented Zatoichi—the director’s take on the famed Blind Swordsman. Even though it was an improvement upon the disappointing Violent Cop, I still found myself unable to comprehend the alleged brilliance of Beat Takeshi.
A couple of weeks ago, I stumbled across Outrage while browsing Netflix. It had sat on my extensive list for quite some time, and I had never even noticed it. After watching it, I realize that I may have jumped into conclusions after watching his first film—perhaps he hadn’t perfected his craft just yet. Either way, Outrage deeply impressed me, and I cannot recommend it enough.
The film deals with the implosion of the Sanno-kai—an old crime syndicate that teems with some of the most deceitful and disloyal Yakuza I’ve ever seen in film—as well as their adjacent and rival families. Quite honestly, I don’t want to give too much away. It’s just a wonderful, thrilling ride full of intrigue, gore, and betrayal. Do yourself a favor and watch it right now.
