Amazon original’s ‘Broken Rage’ at Venice film fest

‘Broken Rage’ makes history as it has become the first Japanese film produced for streaming to be officially selected for the 81st Venice International Film Festival. And now, the film will exclusively stream on ‘Prime Video’ in 2025.

Directed, written by and starring the legendary filmmaker Takeshi Kitano, ‘Broken Rage’ is based on his concept of exploring ‘comedy within a violent film’.

Redefining the norms of the genre, the first half follows a hitman, Nezumi (Kitano), fighting for his survival when he’s caught between the police and yakuza. But in the second half, the gritty crime-action thriller takes an unexpected turn, evolving into a self-parodying comedy that retells the same story with a captivatingly humorous touch.

Tadanobu Asano, who starred in Kitano’s ‘Zatōichi’ (2003) and ‘Kubi’ (2023) and was nominated for a ‘Primetime Emmy’ for ‘Shogun’ (2023), plays the lead detective trying to coerce Nezumi into cooperating as an undercover informant in a drug investigation.

“When I first read the script for ‘Broken Rage’, I was surprised by the unprecedented twists and turns in the story,” said Tadanobu.