The film depicts the historical "Honno-ji Incident" from 1582, when a key vassal of Oda Nobunaga rose in revolt and caused his master to commit hara-kiri in Kyoto. The reasons for the revolt and whether Akechi Mitsuhide was really the ringleader have been debated ever since. It will explore the ambitions, betrayals, and fates of various characters, including warlords, ninjas, traveling performers, and peasants, and brings out the essence of Kitano's world, including intense violence and dark humor. Kubi is directed by iconic Japanese actor / filmmaker Takeshi Kitano (aka "Beat Takeshi"), director of many films including Violent Cop, Boiling Point, A Scene at the Sea, Sonatine, Fireworks, Dolls, The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi, Achilles to Kame, The Outrage, Beyond Outrage, Outrage Coda, Ryuzo and the Seven Henchmen, and Neck previously. Co-directed by Shuta Takahata.
Takeshi Kitano’s Kubi is one peculiar movie, a frantic, blood-drenched, star-studded historical epic that has more beheadings per minute than any feature film I’ve seen in a while. (The title, by the way, translates as “Neck.”) It also features disemboweling, spearing, beatings, torture, and poisonings, and at one point one dude forces another to eat a pastry off his sword before kissing him lustily on his bleeding mouth. It’s pretty special.
