Under the Open Sky

Great directing that understands the fundamentals, makes it beautiful not by being overly flashy, but because the director has a real eye for photography. But the real stars here are Kôji Yakusho, who is one of the very best performances of the year (as of writing this) and the script. Both of those components play a large role in how genuine this feels. Never boring, always heartfelt, earns every single moment of emotion. Perfect ending, both visually and thematically.

IMO very Japanese in outlook and not a good movie to introduce anyone to Japanese cinema as it's cultural, not an action piece, pretty slow. Having said that lead Kôji Yakusho gives an outstanding performance. One where rating is very much dependent on the viewer. Wears it's heart on it's sleeve (and there is a lot of heart in this) and isn't ashamed to do it. There is a strong Yakuza infuence, but IMO very ambivalent, not a gangster pic. There's a tiny sex scene but sorta? part of the tale.