Several yakuza from Tokyo are sent to Okinawa to help end a gang war. The war then escalates and the Tokyo drifters decide to lay low at the beach.Several yakuza from Tokyo are sent to Okinawa to help end a gang war. The war then escalates and the Tokyo drifters decide to lay low at the beach.Several yakuza from Tokyo are sent to Okinawa to help end a gang war. The war then escalates and the Tokyo drifters decide to lay low at the beach.
- Awards
- 4 wins & 1 nomination
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe title Sonatine comes from the musical term sonatina. Kitano said that when learning the piano, when the learner gets to sonatinas they have to decide where they want to go, whether it is to classical, jazz or popular music; marking the point of crucial decision making. This refers to the character Murakawa in the film
- Quotes
Miyuki: You're tough. I love tough guys.
Aniki Murakawa: I wouldn't carry a gun if I were tough.
Miyuki: You can shoot without a second thought.
Aniki Murakawa: I shoot fast because I get scared fast.
Miyuki: But you're not afraid of dying, are you?
Aniki Murakawa: When you're scared all the time, you reach a point when you wish you were dead.
- Crazy creditsAt the end of the closing credits, various shots of the beach that were taken a year or so later, are included.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Century of Cinema: Nihon eiga no hyaku nen (1995)
I love how the only emotions Murakawa expresses are humor and nihilist apathy. The "sumo scene" is so delightfully out-of-place, while the ending simply leaves your mouth open. The warmth the characters show just makes it more hurtful when they meet such pathetic, low-key ends. I'm not an expert on Japanese society, but I see this film as a comment on the emptiness of a fear-filled culture of reservation, where it is more important to show restraint and respect than it is to continue living.
I'll still enjoy good ol' HK pistol operas, but I'll never see them quite the same again.
- *(CableGuy)*
- Dec 13, 2001
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Details
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $58,834
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $17,527
- Apr 12, 1998
- Gross worldwide
- $58,834