Spoilers!
Takashi "Beat" Kitano had already made "Violent Cop", this was his masterpiece, Kitzu Ritan (Kids Return), is a story about two boys who smoke, drink and skive school, then one gets hit by a local bully and starts boxing, the other one is rubbish at it, but one is less angry (than his friend, who is, angry about the punching incident, cue throwing the bully out of the ring). Kitano makes his most detailed observation, whilst appearing at his most casual, this is not, as you may think it is, like "Rocky II", or "Max Keeble's Big Move", this is a melancholy, story of two kids, one joining the Yazuka, and one becoming a boxer, eventually getting screwed up by taking "Champion Pills", maybe the down and out meant to do him in with them, anyway, like I said, better than "Battle Royale" (only just though).
Superb, ****/****
Takashi "Beat" Kitano had already made "Violent Cop", this was his masterpiece, Kitzu Ritan (Kids Return), is a story about two boys who smoke, drink and skive school, then one gets hit by a local bully and starts boxing, the other one is rubbish at it, but one is less angry (than his friend, who is, angry about the punching incident, cue throwing the bully out of the ring). Kitano makes his most detailed observation, whilst appearing at his most casual, this is not, as you may think it is, like "Rocky II", or "Max Keeble's Big Move", this is a melancholy, story of two kids, one joining the Yazuka, and one becoming a boxer, eventually getting screwed up by taking "Champion Pills", maybe the down and out meant to do him in with them, anyway, like I said, better than "Battle Royale" (only just though).
Superb, ****/****