Historical drama turns into frenzied murderous spectacle in the hands of director and star Takeshi Kitano.
Japan, 16th century. While commanding officer Oda Nobunaga attempts to unite Japan under his banner, one of his generals starts a rebellion against him, only to then disappear without a trace. Nobunaga deploys his other generals to organise a manhunt, promising that that the bravest one will become his successor.
The events in this film are based on the so-called Honnō-ji Incident of 1582, but in the hands of Takeshi Kitano it becomes anything but a politically correct historical epic. The beheadings follow each other at breakneck speed, interrupted only by spectacular fight scenes and Kitano’s familiar absurd and black humour. His film is filled with colourful characters, doppelgangers, geishas and ninjas, and the rivalling warlords are without exception portrayed as vain and power-hungry creatures. Kubi is a frenzied spectacle that will leave you breathless and concludes with a resounding bang, perhaps the last one in the career of this Japanese allrounder.
