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{{Short description|1997 Japanese film by Takeshi Kitano}}
{{Other uses|Hanabi (disambiguation){{!}}Hanabi}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Hana-bi
| image          = HanaBi_poster.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Takeshi Kitano]]
| producer       = [[Masayuki Mori (film producer)|Masayuki Mori]]<br>Yasushi Tsuge<br>Takio Yoshida
| writer         = Takeshi Kitano
| starring = {{Plainlist|
* [[Takeshi Kitano|Beat Takeshi]]
* [[Kayoko Kishimoto]]
* [[Ren Osugi]]
* [[Susumu Terajima]]}}
| music          = [[Joe Hisaishi]]
| cinematography = Hideo Yamamoto
| editing        = Takeshi Kitano<br>Yoshinori Ota
| studio        =  {{Plainlist|
* [[Bandai Visual]]
* [[Office Kitano]]
* [[Tokyo FM]]
* [[TV Tokyo]]
}}
| distributor    = [[Nippon Herald Films]]
| released       = {{film date|1997|9|3|[[Venice Film Festival]]|1998|1|24|Japan}}
| runtime        = 103 minutes
| country        = Japan
| language       = Japanese
| budget         = $2.3 million<ref>Kitano, Takeshi, ''Fireworks'' DVD booklet, 1998, [[New Yorker Films]]. Retrieved 2015-12-26</ref>
| gross          =
}}
'''''Hana-bi''''' ({{literal translation|Fireworks}}), released in the [[USA]] as '''''Fireworks''''', is a 1997 Japanese [[crime drama]] film written, directed and edited by [[Takeshi Kitano]], who also stars in it. The film's [[Film score|score]] was composed by [[Joe Hisaishi]] in his fourth collaboration with Kitano.

''Hana-bi'' received critical acclaim and won the [[Golden Lion]] at the [[54th Venice International Film Festival]],  helping to establish Kitano as an internationally acclaimed filmmaker; the film has developed a [[Cult film|cult following]].

==Plot==
Yoshitaka Nishi is a violent former [[police detective]] who had to retire after a tragic accident during a botched arrest in which another detective, Tanaka, was killed by the suspect while two others, Nakamura and Horibe, were severely injured. Becoming unemployed, Nishi spends most of his time taking care of his sick wife Miyuki, who has terminal [[leukemia]]. To pay for his wife's care, Nishi borrows money from the ''[[yakuza]]'' but is having difficulty repaying them.

Meanwhile, Horibe, who has been [[paralysis|paralyzed]] since the incident, suffers deep [[Mood disorder|depression]] after his wife and daughter leave him. In a conversation with Nishi, Horibe hints at committing [[suicide]], while adding that he would like to paint but cannot afford to buy himself the necessary materials. After a botched suicide attempt, Horibe receives art supplies mailed to him by Nishi. He then takes up painting and creates [[Surrealism|surreal]] works of art, and later in a [[pointillist]] style.

Nishi buys a second-hand taxicab and repaints it in police colors. He arms himself with a revolver and robs a bank dressed as a policeman. Using the money, he pays off the ''yakuza'' and gives some to Tanaka's widow. Nishi then leaves with his wife for a road trip. Nakamura learns from Tanaka's widow about the gift and advises her to keep the money. He also learns about the paints for Horibe and soon realizes who committed the robbery. Nakamura and his partner attempt to reach Nishi, eventually tracing his route as he and his wife embark on their trip.

Meanwhile, even though Nishi has paid his debt to them, the ''yakuza'' deduce Nishi committed the robbery and attempt to [[extortion|extort]] additional money from him. The ''yakuza'' track down and confront Nishi, but he kills them all in a violent shootout. The next day, Nishi and his wife are at a beach when they are found by Nakamura and his partner. They prepare to arrest Nishi, but Nishi asks Nakamura to spare him a moment of time, watching a girl trying to fly a [[kite]]. The couple comforts each other before the camera pans away towards the ocean before two gunshots are heard in the distance.

== Cast ==
* [[Takeshi Kitano]] as Yoshitaka Nishi 
* [[Kayoko Kishimoto]] as Miyuki, Nishi's wife
* [[Ren Osugi]] as Horibe
* [[Susumu Terajima]] as Nakamura
* [[Tetsu Watanabe]] as Tesuka
* [[Hakuryu (actor)|Hakuryu]] as Yakuza Hitman
* [[Yasuei Yakushiji]] as Criminal
* Taro Itsumi as Kudo
* [[Kenichi Yajima]] as Doctor
* Makoto Ashikawa as Tanaka
* [[Yūko Daike]] as Tanaka's widow

==Production==
In the film, Horibe takes up painting in the [[pointillism|pointillist]] style in order to compensate for his [[paralysis]]. In reality, these paintings were painted by Kitano himself, whilst in recovery from an infamous motorcycle accident in August 1994 that left half of his face paralyzed.<ref>{{cite AV media |year=1998 |title=Fireworks |chapter=A Gallery |medium=DVD |publisher=[[New Yorker Films]]}}</ref>

Kitano's daughter and former singer, Shoko Kitano, makes a cameo appearance playing a nameless girl flying a kite in the film's closing scenes.

The film's title is sometimes listed as "''Hana-bi''", "''hana-bi''" or "''Hanabi''" on the covers of international DVD releases and other references to the film in the West. However, the official title is actually ''HANA-BI'', fully capitalized,<ref>[http://www.office-kitano.co.jp/contents/frames/movie/hanabi.html Official website at Office Kitano] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060514090119/http://www.office-kitano.co.jp/contents/frames/movie/hanabi.html |date=2006-05-14 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.jmdb.ne.jp/1998/dv000130.htm ''Hana-bi''] at the [[Japanese Movie Database]] (in Japanese)</ref> and is used on all Japanese licensed products, including theatrical posters, video covers and [[Soundtrack|OST]] covers.<ref>[http://www.office-kitano.co.jp/contents/frames/movie/engish.html Office Kitano movie posters] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061212041121/http://www.office-kitano.co.jp/contents/frames/movie/engish.html |date=2006-12-12 }}</ref>

==Soundtrack==
{{Infobox album
| name       = Hana-bi
| type       = soundtrack
| artist     = [[Joe Hisaishi]]
| cover      = Hana-Bi.JPG
| alt        =
| caption    = Polydor cover
| released   = January 1, 1998
| recorded   =
| venue      =
| studio     =
| genre      = Soundtrack, modern classical, downtempo
| length     = 42:14
| label      = [[Polydor]], [[Milan Records]]
| producer   =
| prev_title =
| prev_year  =
| next_title =
| next_year  =
| misc       = {{Extra album cover
 | header  = Alternative cover
 | type    = soundtrack
 | cover   = Hana_bi_Milan.jpg
 | border  =
 | alt     =
 | caption = Milan Records cover
}}
}}
The soundtrack CD was first released in 1998 and 1999 by Milan Records,<ref>{{cite web |title=Joe Hisaishi – Hana-Bi (Music From The Motion Picture) |url=https://www.discogs.com/Joe-Hisaishi-Hana-Bi-Music-From-The-Motion-Picture/release/557411 |website=[[Discogs]] |year=1998 |access-date=5 September 2018}}</ref> then reissued by Polydor.

===Track listing===
''All compositions by Joe Hisaishi.''
# "Hana-bi" – 3:42
# "Angel" – 2:41
# "Sea of Blue" – 3:29
# "...and Alone" – 2:29
# "Ever Love" – 2:15
# "Painters" – 5:57
# "Smile and Smile" – 2:55
# "Heaven's Gate" – 4:59
# "Tenderness" – 2:31
# "Thank You... for Everything" – 7:09
# "Hana-bi (Reprise)" – 3:41

===Credits===
*Bassoon – Shinkichi Maeda
*Clarinet – Tadashi Hoshino
*Composer, arranger, performer – Joe Hisaishi
*Flute – Takashi Asahi, Takeshi Shinohara
*Harmonica – Nobuo Yagi
*Oboe – Hiroshi Shibayama
*Strings – Yuichiro Goto Group

==Reception==
Although it was not a big success financially,<ref name="Midnight Interview">{{cite web|url=http://www.midnighteye.com/interviews/takeshi-kitano/ |title=Midnight Eye interview: Takeshi Kitano |publisher=midnighteye.com |date=2003-11-05 |access-date=2015-12-26}}</ref> ''Hana-bi'' received critical acclaim and won the [[Golden Lion]] award at the [[54th Venice International Film Festival]] and numerous other accolades. Kitano himself said it was not until he won the Golden Lion that he was accepted as a serious director in his native Japan; his prior films had been looked at as just the hobby of a famous comedian.<ref name="AV Interview">{{cite web|url=http://www.avclub.com/article/takeshi-kitano-13882 |title=Takeshi Kitano Interview |publisher=[[The A.V. Club]] |date=2004-08-11 |access-date=2015-12-26}}</ref>

It also won the [[Grand Prix (Belgian Syndicate of Cinema Critics)|Grand Prix]] of the [[Belgian Syndicate of Cinema Critics]].

Review aggregator [[Rotten Tomatoes]] reports that 96% of 24 critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 8.4 out of 10.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1091981-fireworks |title=Fireworks (Hana-bi) (1997) | work = [[Rotten Tomatoes]] | publisher = [[Flixster]] |access-date=2015-12-26}}</ref> [[Metacritic]] assigned the film a weighted average score of 83 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/fireworks-1998?ftag=MCD-06-10aaa1c | title=Fireworks | website=[[Metacritic]] }}</ref> American film critic [[Roger Ebert]] rated it three stars out of four, citing its unusual approach toward serenity and brutality, calling it "a [[Charles Bronson]] ''[[Death Wish (1974 film)|Death Wish]]'' movie so drained of story, cliché, convention and plot that nothing is left, except pure form and impulse."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ebert |first=Roger |author-link=Roger Ebert |date=March 20, 1998 |title=Fireworks (1998) |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/fireworks-1998 |access-date=December 18, 2023 |website=RogerEbert.com}}</ref> Jaime N. Christley of ''[[Slant Magazine]]'' gave the film a perfect four star rating.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/fireworks |title=Fireworks |publisher=[[Slant Magazine]] |date=2004-07-07 |access-date=2015-12-26}}</ref> [[David Stratton]] of [[The Movie Show]] called Hana-bi "an unclassifiable film" and "quite extraordinary," with co-host [[Margaret Pomeranz]] stating "I was ultimately so moved by it. It did what cinema is meant to do, for me anyway, and that's take me on a journey that is mine, that ultimately ends up inside me, in my heart." Stratton concluded that ''Hana-bi'' is "hard to describe to audiences, but all I can say is: Go and see it. It's great." The duo both awarded the film five stars out of five.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/video/11701827659/Hana-bi |title=The Movie Show Reviews Hana-bi |publisher=[[Special Broadcasting Service|SBS]] |date=1998-09-02 |access-date=2018-07-01 |archive-date=2018-07-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701055153/https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/video/11701827659/Hana-bi |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Legacy==
The film is included in the book [[1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=1001 movies you must see before you die|date=2003|publisher=Cassell Illustrated/Quintet Books|others=Schneider, Steven Jay, 1974-|isbn=184403044X|location=London. [England]|oclc=223768961}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|id=0119250|title=Hana-bi}}
* [http://www.jmdb.ne.jp/1998/dv000130.htm ''Hana-bi''] at the [[Japanese Movie Database]] (in Japanese)
*[http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1091981-fireworks/?critic=columns ''Hana-Bi''] at [[Rotten Tomatoes]]

{{Takeshi Kitano}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for ''Hana-bi''
|list =
{{Blue Ribbon Award for Best Film}}
{{Hochi Film Award for Best Film}}
{{Kinema Junpo Award for Best Film}}
{{Mainichi Film Award for Excellence Film}}
{{Nikkan Sports Film Award for Yūjirō Ishihara Award}}
{{Belgian Film Critics Association Grand Prix}}
{{Cahiers du Cinéma Award for Best Film}}
{{Golden Lion}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hana-Bi}}
[[Category:1997 films]]
[[Category:1997 crime drama films]]
[[Category:Japanese crime drama films]]
[[Category:1990s Japanese-language films]]
[[Category:Japanese neo-noir films]]
[[Category:Yakuza films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Takeshi Kitano]]
[[Category:Golden Lion winners]]
[[Category:European Film Awards winners (films)]]
[[Category:Best Film Kinema Junpo Award winners]]
[[Category:Films scored by Joe Hisaishi]]
[[Category:1990s Japanese films]]
[[Category:Japanese-language crime drama films]]