Boiling Point

Released By: Film Movement
Released On: October 11, 2016
Director: Takeshi Kitano
Cast: Takeshi Kitano, Yí»rei Yanagi, Yuriko Ishida, Taka Guadalcanal
Year: 1990
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The Film:

You can say what you like about Takeshi Kitano (probably best when he's not around to hear you), but the man most definitely does not mess around. A year after successfully taking the reins from Kinji Fukasaku on 1989's Violent Cop, Beat Takeshi found himself back in the Director's chair for Boiling Point, a feature that he also penned the screenplay for. And, as was the case with his directorial debut, this one threw convention directly into the trash and left viewers scratching their heads for long after the end credits had run.

Masaki (Yí»rei Yanagi) plays for the local Eagles baseball team, known as one of the worst teams in the league, mainly down to Masaki's inability to do anything correctly. When he's supposed to be at bat, he's in the outhouse for an extended dumping period, and even when he is at bat, he can be counted on to miss every pitch. Ridiculed by his teammates, Masaki doesn't seem to care too much, wearing a face of apathy and indifference. His professional life down at the local service station isn't much better, where he's berated by customers for his half-assed work ethic and blank stares. It's during one of these badgering sessions when things get out of control, after Masaki strikes back at a violent customer...who happens to be a member of the heavily connected Otomo Group.

With the threat of further violence, Masaki turns to his friend Iguchi, a bar owner with a mobster past, to smooth things over with Mr. Otomo. But Iguchi's past reputation carries no weight in this present day, and a verbal escalation comes to blows, with Iguchi emerging the victor...momentarily. Otomo's henchman strike back immediately, beating Iguchi to within an inch of his life. The former gangster demands revenge, which will surely be dealt out once he can get to Okinawa to purchase some firearms, but his lack of mobility guarantees that such a trip is a long way off. With deadpan determination to take charge of the situation for once in his life, Masaki offers to go to Okinawa with his friend Kazuo to procure the weapons.

The two lads strike it rich when they happen across a violent altercation involving an angry mobster named Mr. Uehara (Takeshi) who is beating up a car in frustration over owing the local yakuza boss a whole lot of money and one of his fingers. The next few days are a whirlwind of craziness for the young baseball players, as the flamboyant and psychotic Uehara takes them on a trip involving karaoke, busted bottles, busted skulls, tighty whities, homosexual rape, brutal murder and the bizarre smelling of Hawaiian shirts in their quest for Iguchi's guns. By the time it's over, neither Masaki nor Kazuo will be the same...and neither will the viewer.

Walking a line between comedy and horrific violence is no easy task, but this line is what defines Boiling Point perfectly. Takeshi Kitano's dry DRY (DRY!) humour is on display here, and fans of the man and his work will be appreciative, but as the subtlety gives way to terrible acts of indecency against Uehara's fellow man (literally), many will step back and wonder what in the Hell they're laughing at. Though this balance exists from the first frame of the picture, it's amplified at least tenfold when Kitano's Uehara shows up on screen, and it's the dichotomy of these character traits that carry the movie strongly to the finish. As Uehara's actions get more and more intense and graphic, the comedy also increases, resulting in a jumble of emotions that disturbs but strangely satisfies. Is it wrong to laugh at such things? Probably. Did I laugh anyhow? Most definitely.

Laughing out loud for the wrong reasons aside, Boiling Point is a fantastic film, surpassing its predecessor by a wide margin. Fully at the helm, here, Kitano continues to use unorthodox methods to present his vision; odd framing, a strange choice of lenses; with subject matter unbecoming for most filmmakers attempting to turn out a profitable product. The writing is daring, the delivery quick and absolute, and the supporting cast pile in admirably to make it happen. With twists and turns down dark alleys that set the original goal of the plot far to the side, Boiling Point takes the viewer on a journey that suddenly comes full circle and rolls credits, leaving us wondering where in the Hell we went, and why it had to end so quickly.

Video/Audio/Extras:

Film Movement Classics brings Boiling Point to Blu-ray in an AVC-encoded 1.85:1 transfer that looks wonderful, with lots of detail and a lack of dirt and debris, most definitely a huge step up from previous DVD releases. Like he did with Violent Cop, Kitano has gone for a muted colour palette here, so don't expect the transfer to pop off of your screen, but it looks pretty swell. A few sequences come off as a bit soft, but some of that can be attributed to lens selection. Not being overly familiar with the material, I can't say for sure that the odd jump at around 1 hour, 14 minutes is intentional, but even if it isn't, it's a very minor issue.

Audio is provided by a Japanese LPCM 2.0 track with optional English subs, and it's well-done also, lacking the hiss that I noticed here and there on the Violent Cop release. No crackles or pops are anywhere to be found, and dialogue is clear and audible throughout, balanced well with the rest of the soundtrack.

Okinawa Days: Takeshi's Second Debut (20:10) is done in a similar style to the Violent Cop featurette, with lots of clips from the film, meaning you should watch the movie first. Yurei Yanagi (Masaki) is on hand to discuss his lack of acting skills prior to the film, and his introduction to Kitano at the latter's radio show. He also talks extensively about Kitano's approach to comedy and delivering jokes on screen, walking the line between laughter and violence. Producer Masayuki Mori is back for this featurette, again with muffled audio, and he talks about working with Kitano in a different capacity than he did on the first film. The audio in this featurette is in Japanese with English subs.

The original trailer for Boiling Point is included here, as are six trailers for other Film Movement releases; Violent Cop, Kamikaze '89, The Quiet Earth, Sea Fog, Key of Life, and The Pillow Book.

Finally, a liner note essay by Asian Film expert Tom Vick is included.

The Final Word:

Although Film Movement would be better served utilizing better artists or the original poster art for their releases (this one is particularly bad!), you're best served not judging this book by its cover. Boiling Point is a fantastic film, essential Asian Cinema, and Film Movement Classics have done another bang-up job bringing one of Kitano's films to Blu-ray.

Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!