Takeshi Kitano's latest film, "The Head," is not so much a period piece with black jokes but rather a film that tells us that even people who are considered great are worldly in this way. The abundance of gore and the characters' complete lack of humanity and duty in the world remind one of his hit "Outrage" series.
I think that what he wanted to express in this film was to show the cheap minds of those who are considered great men, and to muddy the waters of a kind of holiness.
To begin with, Hideyoshi Hashiba, who is played by the director himself, is often portrayed as a loyal retainer of Nobunaga Oda, but in historical fact, Nobunaga was a treacherous character and a destroyer of past customs. Do we understand the feelings of his subordinates who follow such a mad boss?
I wonder if Hideyoshi, who has reached a certain position, has a strong antipathy toward him? I wonder if Hideyoshi, who became a man of status, might have strong antipathy toward him. By placing the commoner-born Hideyoshi as the main character, this film shows us how the beauty of the samurai was a beautiful lie.
I recommend this film, but you may enjoy it more if you see another film by Takeshi Kitano before seeing this one.
