Beyond Outrage

Beyond Outrage
US Theatrical release poster
Directed by Takeshi Kitano
Produced by Masayuki Mori
Takio Yoshida
Written by Takeshi Kitano
Starring Beat Takeshi
Toshiyuki Nishida
Tomokazu Miura
Music by Keiichi Suzuki
Cinematography Katsumi Yanagishima
Edited by Takeshi Kitano
Yoshinori Ota
Production
company
Distributed by Japan:
Warner Bros. Pictures
United States:
Magnet Releasing
Release date
  • September 2, 2012 (2012-09-02) (Venice Film Festival)
  • October 6, 2012 (2012-10-06) (Japan)
Running time
 112 minutes
Country Japan
Language Japanese
Box office US$16,211,978[1]

Beyond Outrage (アウトレイジ ビヨンド, Autoreiji Biyondo) is a 2012 Japanese yakuza film directed by Takeshi Kitano, starring Kitano (a.k.a. "Beat Takeshi"), Toshiyuki Nishida, and Tomokazu Miura. It is a sequel to Kitano's 2010 film Outrage and is followed by the 2017 film Outrage Coda.

Plot summary

Five years has passed since the end of the previous film. Kato, as the new Grand Yakuza leader of the Sanno-kai, transforms the syndication to involve more legitimate businesses and build ties to high-rank government officials. Otomo, a former Yakuza who was stabbed at the end of the previous film, is actually still alive and serving time in a maximum security prison after falling out of favor with Sekiuchi, the former Grand Yakuza before Kato murdered him and took control.

The film begins with two anti-corruption detectives observing the discovery of dead bodies in a car being recovered from the bottom of a harbor. The detectives suspect that the drowned bodies are related to a recent scandal within the government. Such speculation is proven to be correct by their superiors, who determine that the truth must not be revealed to the public. The superiors also believe that the Sanno-kai is becoming too big and influential, and should be crushed before it is too late. Corrupt detective Kataoka, who has a lot of ties with the underground but still wants to get promoted in the police force, tries to ignite a gang war between the Sanno-kai and the Hanabishi-kai from the western Japan. He also shortens Otomo's prison sentence and have him released, theorizing that his returning presence might cause some old cracks to resurface, introducing further dissent between the already aggressive Sanno-kai Yakuza leaders.

Kato allows his lieutenants to kill Otomo as soon as he is released from the prison. Otomo, with careful calculation and help from the rival Hanabishi-kai, initiates a ruthless and bloody rampage through the ranks of the Sanno-kai in order to exact his version of justice for having been previously betrayed and forced to serve his prison sentence. His careful calculation pays off as his ruthless campaign is efficiently carried out. Eventually the Sanno-kai is decimated and absorbed into the Hanabishi-kai. Kato is forced to retire, before being assassinated by Otomo himself.

In the closing scene, Otomo goes to a funeral home where some of his dead Yakuza brothers are being interred. At a discreet entrance he met Kataoka, who realizes that his is unarmed and offers him a sidearm. By now, however, it has fully dawned upon Otomo that Kataoka is responsible for the death of his Yakuza brothers. Upon receiving the gun, Otomo empties it into Kataoka at point-blank range, killing him.

Cast

Release

Beyond Outrage was screened in competition at the 69th Venice International Film Festival.[2]

Soundtrack

Kitano returned to Keiichi Suzuki, the same Japanese composer he had used for the original Outrage film, for the complete sequel soundtrack, and previously Kitano had collaborated with him for the complete soundtrack to his Zatoichi film. This complete soundtrack for Beyond Outrage was their third film collaboration.

Reception

Gabe Toro of IndieWire gave Beyond Outrage an "A-" rating.[3] Justin Chang of Variety described the film as "a slow-motion deathtrap in which the wall-to-wall chatter feels like a joyless, too-leisurely distraction from the inevitable bloodletting". Meanwhile, he commented that Otomo (Beat Takeshi) is "the most memorable figure here, a demon of death shown to brook no nonsense in the film's blunt, perfect final scene".[4] Lee Marshall of Screen International said, "Out-and-out shouting matches between supposedly composed clan members are another forte of Outrage Beyond – a film that always has humour bubbling just underneath its hard-boiled surface".[5]

Kinema Junpo placed Beyond Outrage at number 3 in their "10 Best Japanese Films of 2012",[6] while it was ranked at number 36 on the Film Comment's "50 Best Undistributed Films of 2012".[7]

Sequel

In September 2012, Takeshi Kitano said that the producers wanted him to make the third Outrage film.[8] As reported by Macnab, the making of a third Outrage film would complete the first film trilogy for Takeshi Kitano. As of 30 June 2013, Box Office Mojo reported a total revenue for Outrage approaching USD ten million with USD 8,383,891 in the total worldwide lifetime box office.[9] As of 28 July 2013, Beyond Outrage had receipts more than twice as high, at USD 16,995,152. Japanese GQ has announced in December 2016 that the third film of the Outrage series is planned for release before the end of 2017 and is currently in post-production.[10]

References

  1. ↑ "Autoreiji: Biyondo (2012)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
  2. ↑ Schilling, Mark (5 October 2012). "'Outrage Beyond'". The Japan Times.
  3. ↑ Toro, Gabe (11 October 2012). "NYFF Review: 'Outrage Beyond' Is Pure Unfiltered Takeshi Kitano". IndieWire.
  4. ↑ Chang, Justin (2 September 2012). "Outrage Beyond - Variety". Variety.
  5. ↑ Marshall, Lee (3 September 2012). "Outrage Beyond - Review - Screen". Screen International.
  6. ↑ 2012年 第86回キネマ旬報ベスト・テン [86th Kinema Junpo Best Ten, 2012]. Kinema Junpo (in Japanese). Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  7. ↑ "50 Best Undistributed Films of 2012". Film Comment. 13 December 2012.
  8. ↑ Macnab, Geoffrey (5 September 2012). "Takeshi Kitano considers making a third Outrage movie". Screen International.
  9. ↑ "Japan Box Office July 3–4, 2010". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2013-06-13.
  10. ↑ Tomita, Hidetsugu. Japanese GQ. 2016-12-03.
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