Fridae

Takeshi Kitano is spectacularly famous in Japan for being a prolific
TV host, comedian, actor, director and producer. But outside of
Japan, his name is mostly synonymous with his violent yakuza/samurai
films that win awards in film festivals and are lapped up by action
buffs everywhere. The list includes Violent Cop (1989),
Boiling Point (1990), Fireworks (1997) and Zatoichi
(2001).

Having been rich and well-known since the late 1970s seems to have
bred a certain arrogance and narcissism in the man. His latest film
Takeshis imagines what life would be like if he had not
become as frigging famous as he is. The plot carries two threads
at first. One shows him as the glamorous multi-tasking star that
he is, the other shows him as a poor simple-minded store clerk who
dreams of becoming a TV celebrity.

When the two men (both played by Takeshi) happen to meet, the film
enters an elaborate and mind-boggling dimension. It constantly twists
and turns, stops and starts as it leaves and re-enters one alternate
reality after another. This complex film reminds us of Eternal
Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Being John Malkovich,
but without the charm and cleverness of either.

Unlike those two films, Takeshis does not seem to have
any internal logic. It is an ambitious concept that's occasionally
intriguing and amusing, but mostly just messy and unconvincing.
Maybe you'll have better luck making sense of it than we did.