A heart-tugger made totally irresistible because of the combination of Kitano's wry, sly sense of humor and his rigorous detachment.
83
Portland OregonianKim Morgan
Portland OregonianKim Morgan
It is off-putting at first, then refreshing, then downright touching. In short, it works.
80
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
An experimental feature that keeps shooting off its ideas like an endless row of skyrockets, Kikujiro ultimately conveys this grief with such sustained intensity that it can only leave a scorched path of devastation in its aftermath.
75
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
This genial, lyrical little movie seems guaranteed to broaden Kitano's fan base in the United States.
63
San Francisco ChronicleBob Graham
San Francisco ChronicleBob Graham
The comic drama is refreshingly anti- sentimental but will break your heart anyway.
63
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
If the movie finally doesn't work as well as it should, it may be because the material isn't a good fit for Kitano's hard-edged underlying style.
50
USA TodayMike Clark
USA TodayMike Clark
It's tough to think of another child-adult pairing in a long screen tradition with so little emotional kick.
40
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Appears to be a complete about-face for Kitano, and yet it's unmistakably his, both stylistically (the film is gorgeous to look at) and thematically.