This is probably my least favorite Kitano Movie. The film is centered around a sociopath who uses a modified gun to scare criminals and "mean people" by shooting off center at them. He is pursued by a young girl who believes that he's not a bad person - just misunderstood. The movie is a story designed specifically for Japanese or for those who are culturally inclined towards Japanese media. Everything about the movie from the street scenes to the underlying comedy relief reeks with Japanese influence. If you want to see what life is like as a Japanese person, it is a good movie, other than that its boring to all but the most open-minded of foreign love story lovers.

Being a long-time fan of Japanese film, I expected more than this. I can't really be bothered to write to much, as this movie is just so poor. The story might be the cutest romantic little something ever, pity I couldn't stand the awful acting, the mess they called pacing, and the standard "quirky" Japanese story. If you've noticed how many Japanese movies use characters, plots and twists that seem too "different", forcedly so, then steer clear of this movie. Seriously, a 12-year old could have told you how this movie was going to move along, and that's not a good thing in my book.Fans of "Beat" Takeshi: his part in this movie is not really more than a cameo, and unless you're a rabid fan, you don't need to suffer through this waste of film.2/10

This film, more than any other, has me convinced the critics are completely clueless. It is a perfect blend of everything great about French, Hong Kong, and Japanese storytelling.Hinano Yoshikawa is vulnerable--and beautiful--throughout. Saying her acting was bad is like saying Juliette Lewis was bad in Cape Fear. If she really is so clueless in real life, well that was just genius casting. Shinji Takeda also gives a great, naturalistic performance.The last 15 minutes is often criticized or misunderstood. This is really a case of French "who cares what it means, it's beautiful" meets Japanese "you should know what it means, we don't have to explain it." From an American screenwriting craft POV, one may say that it diverges too much from the preceding story, but...I was rapt to the screen and deeply satisfied when the credits rolled.Critics of this film--and you should watch for this in the future--use phrases such as "something like" and "more or less." In criticizing Kitano's cameo, in particular, it is clear they have no idea what they're talking about. Anyone who is a big enough fan to have actually seen Kitano hit someone on the head with a giant hammer--purposely--will know that this is a classic Kitano performance.

I really enjoyed this movie, especially since it had a "guest" appearance by one of my favourite Japanese actors, none other than Takeshi Kitano. The movie is a mix of suspense thriller and commentary on the life and attitudes of people in large urban areas (not necessarily just in Japan) and reflects some aspects of life in Tokyo quite well. Highly recommended.