“Violent Cop” / 「その男、凶暴につき」, Original First Release Japanese B3 Nakazuri Poster 1989, Takeshi Kitano / Beat Takeshi, B3 Size (approx. 36.4 × 51.5 cm) L1, ZA751

This is an original Japanese B3 nakazuri poster printed in 1989 for the first release of Violent Cop / 「その男、凶暴につき」, the landmark crime thriller directed by and starring Takeshi Kitano, credited here as Beat Takeshi / 「ビートたけし」.

This poster is especially important because Violent Cop marked Kitano’s directorial debut, transforming him from one of Japan’s best-known television comedians into one of the most distinctive filmmakers of modern Japanese cinema. The stark, minimalist design perfectly reflects the film’s cold violence, deadpan atmosphere, and emotional severity.

Film background
Released in 1989, Violent Cop follows detective Azuma, a brutal and unpredictable police officer whose methods are closer to vigilantism than standard procedure. As he pursues a drug-related yakuza network and is drawn into personal tragedy, the film becomes a bleak study of violence, corruption, isolation, and revenge.

The film was originally planned with Kinji Fukasaku attached to direct, but after Fukasaku departed, Kitano stepped into the director’s role. The result was a decisive turning point in his career. Rather than a conventional action vehicle, Kitano created a spare, hard-edged, psychologically detached crime film that established many of the qualities that would define his later work: silence, sudden violence, static compositions, emotional repression, and a dry, fatalistic sense of humour.

The cast includes Beat Takeshi, Maiko Kawakami, Shirō Sano, and Hakuryū. Today, the film is regarded as the beginning of Kitano’s career as a major auteur, paving the way for later works such as Sonatine, Hana-bi, and Boiling Point.

Poster design
This B3 nakazuri poster uses an exceptionally bold and restrained design. The right side is dominated by a large black-and-white photographic portrait of Beat Takeshi, staring directly outward with a severe, unreadable expression. The image is stark, frontal, and confrontational, perfectly matching the film’s unsentimental tone.

On the left, the title 「その男、凶暴につき」 is set in enormous white characters within a heavy black rectangular field. The typography is severe and block-like, giving the poster a brutal graphic force.

At the top right, a red banner reads:

「コドモには見せるな……」
“Do not show this to children……”

At lower left, the credits state:

「監督・主演：ビートたけし」
“Directed by and starring Beat Takeshi.”

The design is sparse but highly effective: one face, one title, one warning. It is a superb example of late-1980s Japanese crime-film promotion and a powerful visual document of Kitano’s first step into directing.

Format note
This is a B3 nakazuri-format poster, the horizontal style commonly used for Japanese train-interior and transit advertising. These posters were intended for short-term public display and were often discarded after use, making surviving original examples increasingly difficult to find.

Release note
This poster was printed for the film’s original 1989 Japanese theatrical release campaign.

It is an original period Japanese cinema poster, not a later reproduction or commercial reprint.

Condition
Excellent condition. A highly attractive example, with clean paper, sharp photographic contrast, bold typography, and excellent overall display impact.

Please review the photograph carefully, as it shows the exact poster for sale.

This is an original 1989 Japanese theatrical / nakazuri poster.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.

It is now over 35 years old.

Certificate of Authenticity included.