Outrage: Way of the Yakuza

A powerful new documentary that addresses the issue of "hypocritical" male politicians.

The movie excoriates the hypocrisy of self-hating gay lawmakers (several of whom it outs), yet it also explores the burden of the public closet.

Focusing on the absurdly ultraviolent tit-for-tat tussles among a trio of Tokyo crime families, the film is a beautifully staged marvel that confidently reasserts Kitano's considerable cinematic gifts.

Though it may at times seem like just another Japanese gangster picture, in Outrage, Kitano's sense of pacing is so precise, at once restrained and relentless, that the film becomes a vortex, pulling audiences in deeper and deeper.

His (Takeshi) sense of style is very much in evidence here, and so is his sense of humor.

Outrage succeeds as activism, but it excels as a window into certain political psyches.

This film is a muckraking provocation whose time has come.

Despite its title, Outrage is calm, riveting, and provocative.

A crisp, efficient, sometimes petty but often infuriating documentary about alleged gay politicians who actively campaign and vote against gay rights.

Like one of its yakuza bigs, Outrage commands respect but no affection.