Kids Return

This is quite a charming film at the start and it features some interesting characters. I enjoyed following the story and seeing how students in school acted up and and how the teacher reacted. The sports element of the film interested me less but I thought it was a good, quite solid film about friendship and making the most of things ultimately. I also enjoyed the scenes depicting the two main characters carrying out comedy sketches. Yes, I'd recommend this film.

The greatest 01 hour: and 48 minutes ever!!!!!!!!!!!!

Typical for Beat Takashi...still something missing if compared to his best works

En partant de deux copains de lycée et en les suivant pendant une petite dizaine d'années, Kitano livre un portrait tantôt hilarant tantôt déprimant d'une classe d'un petit lycée japonais dans les années 90. Une fois n'est pas coutume, il se débrouille beaucoup mieux lors des séquences de boxe, qui occupent quasiment tout le second acte, que lors des séquences de yakuza. Avec son montage absolument remarquable, son score (toujours composé par Joe Hisaishi) au diapason et son interprétation quasi parfaite (on y retrouve même ce bon vieux Terajima Susumu, dans un rôle qui préfigure Aniki mon frère), Kids Return est une franche réussite, à la hauteur de ses meilleurs films.

Masanobu Ando in teens.

Great movie. A story about two friends growing and reaching adulthood in their own ways. I feel it also shows how someone's talent can be wasted if he or she hangs out with a bad crowd. Very nice movie.

Ideologically similar to 'Sonatine' yet structurally and thematically very different, 'Kids Return' sees auteur Takeshi "Beat" Kitano weave an occasionally beautiful story that strays from his usual self-immolating themes in order to focus more on the aspirational nature of life. The plot focuses on two teenage delinquents Masaru and Shinji as they try to understand their calling in life and separately experiment with both the Yakuza and boxing. Cinematically Kitano is once again very self-referential, drawing on his past as both a delinquent and one half of the comedy duo 'The Two Beats' in order to create believable and entertaining scenarios. The idea of 'mono no aware' is also visited again and the impermanence of childhood is one of the film's more interesting and heartfelt themes. It's no question 'Kids Return' is the work of a well seasoned and refined auteur, Kitano utilises the minimalistic steady camera style that has become a trademark of his work and allows composer Joe Hisaishi to create a beautiful soundtrack that flawlessly accompanies the film's exceptional visual flare. On the downside tough there are moments where the script seems somewhat drawn-out (un-deliberately) and, although entertaining, the moments in which Shinji and Masaru take a back seat in order for the film to focus on the lives of other teens pale in comparison to the rest of the film. Where 'Kids Return' suffers when placed amongst the likes of 'Sonatine' and 'A Scene At The Sea' , two of Kitano's best is with it's potency, and, although the ending feels like the best and most natural amalgamation of the events that preceded, in retrospective it lacks the same poignancy.

Nostalgico filme de Kitano sin recurrir a los sentimentalismos. Su nostalgia es más razonada que sentida presentando las decepciones en los primeros años profesionales.

Just loving it. A must watch !

True account of friendship and kids behaviour.