Palaest recommended

Payno I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Nicole I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

bob the moo Detective Azuma has been shuffled around police precincts for years due to his effective but "unpleasant" methods. Another Chief and another warning comes his way but he does not change. Events conspire to make his violent and direct methods an important part of a drugs case, however his progress quickly reveals deals and conspiracies behind the racket that not only threaten him and his colleagues but also his mental ill sister Akari Hard to imagine this film being delivered for laughs but this is how it could have been had Kitano not been able to step into the director role and rewrite the script to take the comedy elements out and leave a standard "tough cop" plot behind. Instead what we get is a stark and tough story that is engaging in its minimalist approach to delivering a story. On paper and in terms of dialogue (as far as I could see – more later) the story was reasonably straightforward although does have a good ending that I didn't see coming in several regards. What makes it more than that though is the delivery from Kitano. In directing he establishes his visual style and blunt depiction of violence with long takes, sudden violence and a lack of glamorisation that many similar films do as standard. The plot may be simple but in holding back from stating the obvious, the film gives the characters more room to breathe, or rather develop, within the minds of the viewer; so a diner meeting is shot in silence from across the street or Azuma's pain at the end is played out in his actions not in an "Oscar-bid" style scene for the actor.This approach works really well and I was surprised by how engaging the film was considering how standard the plot was and how little dialogue there often was to carry it. While he visually produces an unique feel, Kitano also broke away from his comedy face and delivered the hard, superficially cold performance of few words that he is now known for. He drives the film and it is him who holds the eye anytime he is on screen. He is well supported by Kawakami, Ashikawa and others but really they do not have the material to impress and tend more to be in the genre film that Kitano otherwise manages to avoid.A quick word about the DVD copy I watched (which was fully legal from LoveFilm and not a copy). Although it seemed to get better as it went on, it is generally a poor job. The picture quality is low although you do get used to it but of more irritation for the first half are the subtitles. For the guts of the film the subtitles seem to miss one of every three sentences at random; OK the next line often makes it easy to work out what was just said but it was very frustrating and quite inexplicable to me. This is not a fault of the film though, and it is well worth seeing. Delivered in the style we have come to love from Kitano, the stark delivery, patient and minimalist visual style and his restrained silent acting, he makes this film and it is understandable why this film gave him many more opportunities afterwards.

gangstahippie Rated NR(would be Rated R for Strong Violence,Sexuality and Drug Content) I have seen Violent Cop twice on IFC.I must say it is an excellent movie and if you get the chance to watch it, do so!.Its one of the greatest non-anime films to come out of Japan.Apparently, the main star,writer and director of this film Takeshi Kitano was originally a Japanese comedian.If that's true, then he did an excellent job in playing a serious role.The acting is excellent.I saw this film a while ago so I don't remember the storyline very well but I remember it has a deep story,great performances and a powerful ending.If you can find this film or watch it anywhere, I recommend you do so!

maeble OK. Here is a warning to those who want to watch this movie expecting violence for the purpose of itself. Violent cop is the complete opposite.(spoilers) The story circles around a (violent) misunderstood cop seeking revenge. The main subjects are incapacity, honor and refuge into death. The movie shows us these features one by one, but also as a unit.The best part (for some viewers it could be the worst part either) of this movie it's its slowness. It's not really plot driven, which strangely is the movies true strenght. The characters don't talk a lot either, indeed no one hardly ever says more than 2 sentences in a row. Anyway it's exactly this feature, that give the viewers the chance (and time) to judge them, and give them a shape. Specially the first part of this movie constructs the characters, by showing us how they react on several situations. The second part is more action-driven, and now we can try to tell, why some of the main-figures act in a certain way. The finale is pure western scenario.

Joseph P. Ulibas Violent Cop (1989) is a film about a shady and brutal Japanese Inspector who's always at odds with his bosses and colleagues. One day he's assigned a new idealistic partner. Takeshi Kitano is the Violent Cop and he's very credible as the hard as nails s.o.b. He makes Dirty Harry look like a wuss. Kitano's mean as a snake and does whatever he can to get either a confession or information from an unwilling suspect. Not only does Kitano have a new partner to watch out for but he has to take care of his batty sister. Great film. If you like cop movies, then you'll love this one. Look for the uncut international version, I highly doubt it you'll want to see this one cut. I like this picture, it keeps it's promise and delivers the goods.Highly recommended for the nihilism and ultra violence.