I recently purchased Sonatine boxed with "The Bind Swordsman: Zatoichi" and just got around to viewing both. I've become a big fan of the Japanese cinema but these are the first Kitano films I've had the pleasure of viewing. I have to admit I'm hooked.<br /><br />I can't remember the last time I recoiled in shock from a bloody shoot-out and laughed until I cried 15 minutes later. The scene on the beach with the guys in the sumo ring bouncing around like the paper cutouts in the earlier scene is hysterical.<br /><br />I think I'll give it a couple days and watch it again because there are lots of details I missed the first time around. Definitely a thought-provoking movie.