Haruhiko Kato Movies
Cult Japanese director Takashi Miike draws inspiration from the popular Playstation 2 title Yakuza for this unhinged tale of underworld violence in Tokyo starring Goro Kishitani and Kazuki Kitamura. It's summertime in Tokyo, and as the temperature rises, two undercover cops stake out a high-profile bank robbery while complaining about the air conditioning. When the masked gunmen make their way into the vault only to find that the Tojo gang's ten-million-yen deposit has mysteriously vanished, an already complicated situation gradually starts to spiral out of control. Meanwhile, in another part of town, psychotic yakuza Goro Majima (Kishitani) strikes out on his own to pay a visit to rival gang leader Kazuma Kiryu (Kitamura) and track down the missing mother of adorable youngster Haruka (Natsuo). It seems that Haruka's mother has some valuable information, and Majima is determined to find her at any cost. Now, as Majima makes his way through the neon-lit streets of Tokyo, Satoru (Shun Shioya) and his girlfriend, Yui (Saeko), embark on a bold robbery spree, and South Korean hitman Park (Yoo Gong) prepares to locate and terminate the thieves who absconded with the Toho gang's money. Later, after Majima and Kiryu engage in a series of fights all across the city, a confrontation at the top of Tokyo's Millennium Tower finds the true criminal mastermind finally stepping out of the shadows. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kazuki Kitamura, Goro Kishitani, (more)
- 2002
A young prizefighter is forced to come to terms with his new life after an accident leaves him a paraplegic in Japanese filmmaker Daisuke Tengan's 2002 film Aiki. Young boxer Taichi (Haruhiko Kato), after a successful night in the ring, is involved in a motorcycle accident which severely injures his back and spine. After a brief coma, Taichi discovers his legs have been rendered useless and he will have to spend the duration of his life in a wheelchair. With the news that his career is finished, Taichi descends into a deep depression and a bout of alcoholism that distances him from many of the important people in his life. By coincidence, Taichi views a aiki-jujitsu demonstration and takes an interest in beginning training in the ground-based martial art. As he learns from his new sensei (Ryo Ishibashi), Taichi begins to turn his life around -- which includes developing a romantic relationship with his new friend Samako (Ryo Ishibashi). Aiki was screened as part of the 2002 Venice Film Festival, as well as being selected for inclusion in a number of other festivals that year, including the Vancouver Film Festival and the Toronto Film Festival. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Haruhiko Kato, Rie Tomosaka, (more)
As one of the most cutting-edge Japanese filmmakers, Kiyoshi Kurosawa once again wraps a lowbrow, much-maligned genre -- in this case horror flicks (which were the rage in Japan at the time of this release) -- around some decidedly highbrow philosophical concepts. At the film's outset, Michi (Kumiko Aso) and her cohorts at a rooftop nursery cannot get ahold of their co-worker, Taguchi (Kenji Mizuhashi), who has an important floppy disk. When she ventures over to his apartment, she finds him pale, listless, and unusually quiet -- that is until he suddenly hangs himself. While the suicide is disconcerting, what really freaks Michi out is that Taguchi's body seems to dissolve into the wall, leaving a sickly black stain. Meanwhile, college slacker Ryosuke Kawashima (Haruhiko Kato) logs onto the Internet for the first time even though he is not particularly fond of computers. Instead of stumbling into a porn site or a chat room, he finds himself in a most peculiar site -- he just sees ghostly images of other people going about their everyday life. Then the computer prompts him, asking, "Would you like to meet ghosts?" Even though he eventually pulls the plug, the machine still on occasion springs to life. He eventually consults a comely computer maven named Harue (Koyuki), who is also utterly baffled. As more and more Internet users seal themselves into their rooms with red duct tape and melt into black splotches, Kawashima and Michi independently come to discover that the Internet has become portal for an increasingly crowded afterlife. As Tokyo becomes increasingly depopulated, Kawashima and Michi cross paths. This film -- which also features cameos by Kurosawa regulars Koji Yakusho, Jun Fubuki, and Sho Aikawa -- was screened at the 2001 Cannes and Toronto Film Festivals. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Haruhiko Kato, Kumiko Aso, (more)
