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Fireworks

Original title: Hana-bi
  • 19971997
  • 1h 43m
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
31K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
11,734
1,547
Fireworks (1997)
CrimeDramaRomance
Nishi leaves the police in the face of harrowing personal and professional difficulties. Spiraling into depression, he makes questionable decisions.Nishi leaves the police in the face of harrowing personal and professional difficulties. Spiraling into depression, he makes questionable decisions.Nishi leaves the police in the face of harrowing personal and professional difficulties. Spiraling into depression, he makes questionable decisions.
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
31K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
11,734
1,547
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Takeshi Kitano
    • Writer
      • Takeshi Kitano
    • Stars
      • Takeshi Kitano
      • Kayoko Kishimoto
      • Ren Ôsugi
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Takeshi Kitano
    • Writer
      • Takeshi Kitano
    • Stars
      • Takeshi Kitano
      • Kayoko Kishimoto
      • Ren Ôsugi
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 142User reviews
    • 82Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
    • Awards
      • 23 wins & 24 nominations

    Photos118

    Fireworks (1997)
    Fireworks (1997)
    Fireworks (1997)
    Fireworks (1997)
    Fireworks (1997)
    Fireworks (1997)
    Fireworks (1997)
    Shoko Kitano in Fireworks (1997)
    Takeshi Kitano, Kayoko Kishimoto, and Shoko Kitano in Fireworks (1997)
    Susumu Terajima in Fireworks (1997)
    Susumu Terajima and Tarô Itsumi in Fireworks (1997)
    Kayoko Kishimoto in Fireworks (1997)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Takeshi Kitano
    Takeshi Kitano
    • Yoshitaka Nishi
    • (as Beat Takeshi)
    Kayoko Kishimoto
    Kayoko Kishimoto
    • Nishi's wife
    Ren Ôsugi
    Ren Ôsugi
    • Horibe
    • (as Ren Osugi)
    Susumu Terajima
    Susumu Terajima
    • Nakamura
    Tetsu Watanabe
    Tetsu Watanabe
    • The Scrap Yard Owner
    Hakuryû
    Hakuryû
    • The Yakuza Hitman
    Yasuei Yakushiji
    • Criminal
    Tarô Itsumi
    • Kudo
    Ken'ichi Yajima
    Ken'ichi Yajima
    • Doctor
    Makoto Ashikawa
    • Tanaka
    Yûko Daike
    Yûko Daike
    • Tanaka's widow
    Tsumami Edamame
    Tsumami Edamame
    • Businessman Throwing Rocks
    Yûrei Yanagi
    • Chef #1
    Sujitarô Tamabukuro
    • Chef #2
    Tokio Seki
    • Old Hick
    Motoharu Tamura
    • Chief Detective
    Hitoshi Nishizawa
    • Yakuza Head
    Hiromi Kikai
    • Director
      • Takeshi Kitano
    • Writer
      • Takeshi Kitano
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The paintings that appear throughout the movie were painted by Takeshi Kitano himself after his near-fatal motorcycle accident in August 1994.
    • Quotes

      Miyuki, Nishi's wife: Thank you - thank you for everything.

    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Wild Things/Niagara, Niagara/Mr. Nice Guy/Wide Awake/Fireworks (1998)

    User reviews142

    Review
    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    Great Kitano!
    Takeshi Kitano's "Hana-bi" aka. "Fireworks" of 1997 is sad, funny, violent and melancholic and, alongside his 1989 debut "Violent Cop", my personal choice for his best work. Hardly ever have I seen a movie which is this memorable and unique in both its tragic and its funny moments, as it is the case with this great film.

    I am a big fan of director Takeshi Kitano, who also stars in the leading part (as 'Beat' Takeshi) in this, and "Hana-bi" is my personal favorite of his movies.

    Yoshitaka Nishi (Kitano) is a mostly calm, but occasionally irascible and ultra-violent cop, whose wife Miyuki (Kayoko Kishimoto) is terminally ill of leukemia. After his partner Horibe (Ren Osugi) is wounded, and another police officer is killed, Nishi decides to quit his job at the police and spend more time with his dying wife. In order to help Horibe, who is now in a wheelchair, and the dead police officer's widow, and in order to make the remaining time as comfortable as possible for his wife, Nishi, who also owes money to the Yakuza, needs money and he is determined to acquire it.

    Not only is Kitano a gantastic a writer and director, his acting performance in "Hana-Bi" is also superb. Nobody else could have played the role of Nishi with such brilliance as 'Bito' Takeshi Kitano, who rarely says a word in the first half of the film and is (nevertheless or therefore) absolutely impressive in his role of the cop with the constant poker face, which typical for Kitano. By the way, the impressionist and very original pictures which are shown occasionally throughout the movie were also painted by Kitano himself. The rest of the performances are also very good, Ren Osugi delivers a particularly memorable performance as Horibe, Nishi's partner who is struck by fate and has to live in a wheel chair, and Kayoko Kishimoto is great in the lovable role of Nishi's dying wife.

    Fantastic cneimatography and Kitano's typical way of patiently drawing out some scenes while showing abrupt outbursts of violence with stamina that makes them hurt as well as his unique talent for the combination of tragic and comical elements make this one of his greatest achievements. Highly recommended!
    helpful•38
    9
    • Witchfinder-General-666
    • Jan 19, 2007

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 20, 1998 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • Japan
    • Language
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • Hana-Bi
    • Filming locations
      • Tokyo, Japan
    • Production companies
      • Bandai Visual Company
      • TV Tokyo
      • Tokyo FM Broadcasting Co.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $500,000
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $59,508
      • Mar 22, 1998
    • Gross worldwide
      • $500,000
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 43 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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