We haven’t seen a Takeshi Kitano movie since. Outrage Coda (2017) quietly released on platforms. And he hadn’t been to the Croisette since Contempt in 2010. So there was a riot at the Cannes Film Festival this Tuesday evening to receive Kitano-san and discover his samurai film Kubiperformed to a packed house.
“I have no intention of being a hit with my films or making money from now on, so I’m not moved by anything concerning Cannes,” he told AFP a few days before going to the festival. However, it was a very moved Takeshi Kitano who received applause from the public before and after the screening.
Rolling heads collect the laughs
So what is this Kubi, whose title means “to cut the neck”? A luxurious production about clans torn apart in 1582, with Takeshi-san himself in the role of a cruel leader nicknamed the Primate. The director, who had already tried his hand at historical film with Zatoichi in 2003, goes even further in the jubilant and foutraque delirium. It’s a joy to see his warriors kicking ass in a great festival of schoolboy jokes and incredibly gory scenes where blood squirts and heads roll wildly.
“I just do what I like” insisted the director who claims not to care what people will say or think. The cries and bursts of laughter during the screening must have warmed his heart. They flare up when his character mistreats his underlings, compares severed heads, or complains that a rival isn’t moving fast enough to make himself ” seppuku “. Kubi allows director Takeshi Kitano to meet Beat Takeshi, his comedic alter ego.
The first, who has hosted a very serious political program for years, delivers an ironic and cruel reflection on the excesses caused by the desire for power. The second, known for his funny and sadistic sketches and game shows, has fun skewering his friends in costumes.
“I would be very happy if a work that I filmed with detachment received a good reception again, but that does not mean that I will try to please”, hammered the filmmaker. This is however the case and we hope that Kubi will soon be released in theaters. “I will come back to Cannes with a better film next time,” he assured festival-goers after the screening. Chick!