Super fun. Then super funny. The only person who can beat Takeshi is Beat Takeshi. Even having a hint of what was coming didn’t dull the impact of the proverbial and literal chair it pulls out from under you. Hyper self-awareness can be its own greatest enemy, but Takeshi knows how to weild self-parody like a fine blade. I counted one single joke that left me unphased, which for me, is quite a feat (i.e. I’m not a comedy guy. My default is unamusement).
Takeshi seems to address every direction of film criticism. He deconstructs the broader yakuza/gangster genre. Most major tropes receive some kind of spotlight, like a reality bent standoff. Then it follows that up with a hilarious scene of barraging insults which reminded me of the hyper mania of the “how am I funny?” scene from Goodfellas. Except I was dying of laughter instead of dying of anxiety.
I wonder if Takeshi was smoking the same ish as Kurosawa was when he came up with Cloud. They both sorta skewer the modern internet and all its nonsense. While Kurosawa hoped we’d laugh with winks and nudges, Takeshi isn’t afraid to put on a goofy ass mouse mask and go “squeak!” to our faces.
It’s comforting to find a modern comedy that tickles me so.
Super fun. Then super funny. The only person who can beat Takeshi is Beat Takeshi. Even having a hint of what was coming didn’t dull the impact of the proverbial and literal chair it pulls out from under you. Hyper self-awareness can be its own greatest enemy, but Takeshi knows how to weild self-parody like a fine blade. I counted one single joke that left me unphased, which for me, is quite a feat (i.e. I’m not a comedy guy. My default is unamusement).
Takeshi seems to address every direction of film criticism. He deconstructs the broader yakuza/gangster genre. Most major tropes receive some kind of spotlight, like a reality bent standoff. Then it follows that up with a hilarious scene of barraging insults which reminded me of the hyper mania of the “how am I funny?” scene from Goodfellas. Except I was dying of laughter instead of dying of anxiety.
I wonder if Takeshi was smoking the same ish as Kurosawa was when he came up with Cloud. They both sorta skewer the modern internet and all its nonsense. While Kurosawa hoped we’d laugh with winks and nudges, Takeshi isn’t afraid to put on a goofy ass mouse mask and go “squeak!” to our faces.
It’s comforting to find a modern comedy that tickles me so.
