What About It?
(for a full summary of the film, scroll down to "What Happens?")
In the world of Sonatine, the gangster has picked up a lot from the samurai in films before him. The gangsters here all understand and live by a rigid code. Much of your fate can be determined by your place in the pecking order. When one bottom rung thug stabs another for insulting him the higher ups don't bother getting up, as it would be beneath them. And, when the Boss asks anyone underneath him, even those a little higher on the ladder, to do something, it's really not a request.
Murakawa is a boss on his own turf, and a successful one, but he's well aware that his command of his own turf is not stable, as his prosperity is like a flag for his Boss's greed. He knows this is what's happening and insinuates as much, but according to their code, he must play along and behave as if his Boss was an honorable man. Murakawa certainly tests the letter of the law. While his Boss is off limits, Takahashi the Boss's right hand man is certainly fair game for a beating in the rest room. Murakawa can't seem to help himself. He knows what's happening and he'll follow the rules, but he isn't going to act as if he doesn't know. Of course this is likely another reason the Boss would rather have him out of the way. Even the Boss maintains a code, he must betray his employees in a certain way to maintain his own appearance. He doesn't just come into Murakawa's turf and claim it, he constructs an elaborate reason to get him away from his turf, and then engineers his destruction as a hazard of the business, all as a consequence of another betrayal on the way to an alliance he desired. Ultimately there is no loyalty, only the effort to appear loyal.
Violence means nothing to men in this organization. They severely wound each other and then have dinner together. It's never personal, simply a matter of maintaining your status. If a man calls you green and you stab him in the belly, you've made your point. Aside from that it doesn't warrant even a raised eye brow. Everything comes down to respect and defending your turf. We see that Murakawa is as serious about that as anyone, when he decides to make an example of the Mah-Jong parlor owner. He shows up and asks the man to give up a cut, but just as it is with his own boss, he is not really making a request, which the man realizes a bit too late. We're not even sure if Murakawa meant to kill the man, or if he just lost track of time while having a conversation, and to him, it doesn't really make any difference, it's just a body for his men to dispose of.
Violence and killing are second nature to Murakawa. Any emotions he had about it, would seem to have eroded long ago. Yet, he has given the matter a lot of thought. He reveals a lot when he tells Miyumi "I wouldn't carry a gun if I was tough." She still tries to compliment him, saying he's fast with the gun, but he isn't having it, and tells her "I'm fast because I get scared first." Watching Marukawa in action, you wouldn't guess that he's scared of much, he so rarely changes expression. He faces certain death with the same expression that he orders a meal. He isn't talking about jitters, but something deeper than that. He knows that people are plotting against him. He's lost men in service of the Boss before. As Takahashi reminds him, that's how he got his turf. Dying and losing everything are all part of the risk in his line of work. He doesn't like it but it's all he knows. He feels the pressure, although he doesn't show it. He confides to Ken that he's tired, although at that point in the film he's doing as well as anyone could hope. He's tired from the weight of everything he's done. So much so that none of his actions matter anymore.
When they get to the beach, and the writing is clearly on the wall, we see a change in Murakawa. All the time to kill on the beach, makes him along with his crew turn childlike. But even so, the guns are always present. Murakawa can't play rock, paper, scissors without adding Russian Roulette. Although it turns out the gun wasn't loaded, Ken and Ryoji don't know that. Yet the gangster code prevents Ken from backing down when he loses the rock, paper, scissors. To these gangsters, how tough they appear, is as important as how tough they are, it's a legitimate concern to risk your life over. Even with the violence tainting him, Murakawa seems to thoroughly enjoy the childishness, being particularly amused by his sand traps. Murakawa and his men at least have a kind of camraderie. Unlike his Boss, he doesn't seem threatened when his people speak their minds, although he wouldn't likely tolerate a challenge. Murakawa has given himself entirely to the distraction. He lets Katagiri worry about calling Tokyo, while he plays games on the beach and hangs out with Miyumi. As much as he tries though, he isn't completely oblivious as we get from his dream where the Russian Roulette game has a fatal outcome. Of course the escape can't last indefinitely, Murakawa's Boss won't feel secure while Murakawa is alive. Ken's killing is the end of the retreat. He was as close to a family member as Murakawa had. Katagiri assumes rightly that Takahashi is finished after that.
Once he's resolved to correct things, he proceeds without hesitation. Everyone is killed all around him but Murakawa is never touched no matter how impossible the odds. As Miyuki surmises, he is not afraid of dying. As he tells her, "When you're scared all the time you almost wish you were dead." We see that when he walks calmly into a building full of armed thugs to kill his Boss, and leaves the building unfazed. Murakawa is inviting death but he can't find it. At the end we see that he has a choice, Miyuki waiting just a little ways down the road or the gun to his head. But death is more attractive to him than any woman, and after being forced to admit that no one else will kill him, he takes on the job himself. He truly is "all worn out." All he has left is the fear that follows him and he has no idea what to do with any other kind of life. Everything is gone and he just wants to be done.
Takeshi Kitano has constructed a fantastic film. His cuts move people across the room in an instant at times giving an interesting pacing that makes you feel like it moves quickly even though we haven't left the room. His treatment of violence in the film is also interesting as it's more implied than shown. A man dies while underwater, we don't see him struggling, just the crane hook sticking in the water. The final showdown where many people are killed is primarily made up of flashes of light. We do see people get shot and fall down but we don't linger there any more than Murakawa does. It happens and we move on to the next time. The deaths are presented as uninteresting, with the exception of Ken's death, which does have an effect, although even that is not obvious immediately. We get plenty of action but not lazy action and the absence of shock effects give it more weight. We're also given quite a contrast between Murakawa's regular stylish gangster living and the period of beach living with ludicrous shirts and all. These are all memorable characters, even some of the minor ones. He made a good choice playing the lead himself and he portrays the gangster longing for destruction perfectly. We don't know if he'll be frightening, childish, calculating, or spontaneous. His absurd sense of humor also fits him well.
Susumu Terajimi is terrific as Ken. He's a great complement to Murakawa and like him, he's deathly serious when we first meet him, although we gradually find there's more to him than hired muscle. His lighthearted camraderie with Ryoji is one of the highlights of the film and is very probably a big inspiration for Murakawa to enjoy himself in their isolation. It can't last and it's not enough to erase the weight of a lifetime, but it's still a pleasure to see it while it lasts. Ren Ohsugi's Katajiri is also great. He's the motivator and the guy that makes sure business gets done. He's cool under pressure unless but also sensitive to jokes about his shirt or sand traps. Tetsu Watanabe's Ueji is a likeable local companion and he adds a needed maturity to the group while encouraging the fun as well. He proves loyal to the end. Ken'ichi Yajima's Takahashi is perfect as the most contemptible of characters. He scrambles for power by having no backbone of his own and lives on his sense of self importance that comes from being close to the Boss.
And lastly, Aya Kokumai is wonderful as Miyuki, a character who seems slight at first but becomes very important, by adding substance to the antics at the beach. She clearly has her own problems, finding the ability to kill admirable because it means you could kill yourself. Miyuki is also someone who doesn't know Murakawa and as a result he can talk to her about things he would never feel the need to discuss with his own people. He enjoys her presence and becomes lighter around her. He isn't, however so easily susceptible to a love interest as it doesn't fit within his code, even if he could feel it. She's a possibility, but Murakawa is not really interested in possibilities. So she ends up being a hint at what his life could have been if only he was someone else. He hates to be ruled but he doesn't know why as he doesn't want to be the boss. He's had his mind made up for some time. He's done with is existential dilemma, Ken's death being the accelerant to the event that he was headed for. But the gangster code is a tough one to break, and like every gangster he'd rather go out on top, because to these guys dying is no big deal, but looking tough on the way is more important than life or death. What else does he have?
What Happens?
The film opens on a man in overalls working in a backroom Mah-Jong establishment. His job is interrupted by the entrance of two men in suits, Aniki Murakawa (Takeshi "Beat" Kitano) and Ken (Susumu Terajimi) Murakawa tells the backroom boss that it's ok for him to operate, but he needs to give a cut of his profits. He declares that he isn't Yakuza, and won't pay.
