Product: Brother [VHS]
Rating: 2.0
The most compelling Yamamoto in the film is Yohji
The most interesting thing about this film was the costumes by Yohji Yamamoto. The characterisations were flat, with a complete lack of apparent motives, and the plot development struck me as more than a little far-fetched.Aniki is a man with no purpose, no feeling, no desire to stay alive, no anything. All he knows is that he is a Yakuza, and that is the life he must live. On the other hand, he isn't stupid, and doesn't seem particularly eager for death. So why does he so easily aquiesce when Shirase decides to take on the Mafia, a move he knows will bring certain death to his brothers? Perhaps it's because his girlfriend is dead and nothing matters anymore.Uhhh... yeah... Maybe I could believe that if the relationship between Aniki and his girlfriend was developed to any significant extent, or even if Aniki showed any warmth or hapiness when around her. But he seemed to care for her as little as he did for the other things in his life, so this explanation just doesn't wash.Maybe Aniki just doesn't care about anything. But we see that he does care for Denny, and earlier in the film he has shown that as an Aniki his first duty is towards his brothers. While he is not afraid to dies for them, and he will prevent them from dihonouring his gang, he also realises that alliances and compromises are sometimes necessary. As is all to often the case in this film, I just don't understand what the motivation behind this character is, and why we are suposed to believe in what he does.See the film if you live in the sticks and don't get to see much of Yohji's extraordinary clothes. Otherwise you may be better off seeing another Takeshi film such as Fireworks. A harsh review perhaps, but I saw this film hard on the heels of Mulholland Drive, and I really don't think anything can compare well to that magnificent film.