Violent Cop (Sono otoko, kyobo ni tsuki)
Originally intended as a comedy about a Dirty Harry-ish cop, Kitano rewrote the script into a dark, gritty and violent police drama, about a rogue homicide detective, without any respect or care for neither his superiors or police procedures, who suddenly stands to lose the only thing he cares for. [more]
  
Boiling Point (3-4 x jugatsu)
Deeply frustrated by the public reaction to "Violent Cop", Kitano, in defiance, basically threw the picture and used it to experiment with different forms of editing.

Masaki is slow of mind, but in his daydream, he beats up a yakuza and stands up for himself. [more]
  
A Scene at the Sea (Ano natsu, ichiban shizukana umi)
To ensure black numbers, Kitano made, this his first film under the helm of Office Kitano, an as simple and cheap film as possible. Using the beach as setting and virtually no dialogue to speed up production, it tells the story of the deaf-mute Shigeru and his obsession with the sea and surfing. [more]
  
Sonatine (Sonachine)
Having gotten a YEN 500 million budget to make an action film, like "Die Hard", Kitano instead went to a remote island and created a homage to one of his favorite films, "Pierrot le fou".

Amongst the very best films of Kitano, "Sonatine" not only showed him in complete control of the medium, but also an originality and groundbreaking style, which gave him internationally recognition and accolade. [more]
  
Getting Any? (Minnâ-yatteruka)
While Kitano was being hailed as one of todays most original filmmakers in Europe, the japanese audience still refused to accept him, which made him so furious, that he in pure defiance made "Getting Any?"

If they only wanted the comedian, then he would give them a comedy so far out, that they had to die laughing. [more]
  
Kids return (Kidzu ritan)
Still marked by his accident, Kitano stayed behind the camera on this, semi-autobiographical, account of two high-school bullies, who try to find their place in life. [more]
  
Fireworks (Hana-bi)
The most known, most critically acclaimed, most discussed and most awarded film by Kitano, "Hana-bi" stands today as one of the best Japanese films ever made. [more]
  
Kikujiro (Kikujiro no natsu)
Having cast away all his demons and having recieved the golden lion of Venice, Kitano felt like having fun and did so with "Kikujiro". Using a road movie structure, Kitano could freely interject the story with anything he wanted. [more]
  
Brother
Originally written and intended as the sequel to "Sonatine", the story for "Brother" finally found its way onto the screen, when friend and producer Jeremy Thomas offered Kitano to produce it. [more]
  
Dolls (Dooruzu)
Tired of being told, that his films were so blue and violent, Kitano decided to make a film full of colours and love. Inspired by a childhood memory, Kitano created a complex journey thru life, love, the seasons and the themes of Chikamatsu. [more]
  
Zatoichi (Zatôichi)
Originally Kitano refused to make a new Zatoichi film, but was persuaded into making, what would become his greatest succes ever. [more]
  
Takeshis'
Beat Takeshi lives the busy and sometimes surreal life of a showbiz celebrity. One day he meets his blond lookalike named Kitano, a shy convenience store cashier, who, still an unknown actor, is waiting for his big break.

After their pathes cross, Kitano seems to begin hallucinating about becoming Beat. [more]
  
A beautiful day (Une Belle Jounée)
Kitano's entry to the Cannes 2007 collection of short-films by 35 directors. See film on YouTube [more]
  
Kantoku: Banzai! (Subarashiki Kyujitsu)
Beat Takeshi is a hapless film director in search of a commercial hit, while suffering failure after failure as he tries out different genres. [more]
  
Achilles and the Tortoise (Akiresu to Kami)
Kitano plays a talentless-but-dedicated artist who plugs along with the support of his long-suffering wife [more]
  
Outrage (Autoreiji)
Outrage depicts a power struggles among Tokyo gangsters, and Kitano will play the leading role as a low-ranking boss who does his superiors' dirty work. [more]