Tekon Kinkurîto (Tekkonkinkreet) (2006)

72% of critics liked it
(18 reviews)
87% of users liked it
(7,273 ratings)

A pair of feisty young street urchins attempts to protect an unnamed metropolis from a diabolical villain whose plans to raze the urban landscape on the behalf of malevolent real-estate developers threatens to destroy the very soul of the city. Street-smart youngsters Black and White do their best… More A pair of feisty young street urchins attempts to protect an unnamed metropolis from a diabolical villain whose plans to raze the urban landscape on the behalf of malevolent real-estate developers threatens to destroy the very soul of the city. Street-smart youngsters Black and White do their best to defend their territory from rival gangs as local yakuza leader Suzuki, fearing that the town has lost its zeal, plots a triumphant return to form. A lifelong criminal with a serious zodiac fixation, Suzuki (aqua The Rat) doesn't want to corrupt the city as much as he simply wants reinvigorate it with the kind of vibrancy that drew him to love it in the first place. Mr. Snake, on the other hand, wants nothing more than to profit as the buildings of the city crumble to make room for the massive amusement park planned by his wealthy clients. The only problem now is that Mr. Snake can't carry out his destructive deed while Black and White are still wandering the streets - of course that's nothing that can't be solved by a pair of sharp-shooting intergalactic assassins whose bullets always meet their mark. A metaphysical tale of survival in a city that seems to be poised on the brink of disaster, Tekkonkinkreet marks the feature directorial debut of longtime visual effects artist Michael Arias (The Abyss, Princess Mononoke). ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 51 min.
Directed By: Michael Arias
Written By: Anthony Weintraub
Genres: Action & Adventure, Anime & Manga, Science Fiction & Fantasy

In Theaters: Sep 1, 2007 Wide
On DVD: Sep 25, 2007
Studio: Destination Films

Critic Reviews

Manohla Dargis, New York Times
In the anime Tekkonkinkreet, two orphans of life's storms sail through the air like birds, like superheroes, like Jackie Chan.
Lou Lumenick, New York Post
Somewhat resembles Paprika, another recent piece of Japanimation. But director Michael Arias, a Tokyo-based American, doesn't fuse his striking graphics to a story anywhere near as satisfying.
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News
The dazzlingly intricate backgrounds are a marvel, and though the jam-packed story occasionally trips over its own sentimentality, it quickly rights itself every time.
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times
Tekkonkinkreet, for all its architecturally grimy virtuosity and flourishes of anime cool, remains the story of a damaged city that can still point to one mighty example of brotherly love.
John Anderson, Newsday
Far less cartoonish than, say Pirates of the Caribbean 3. And its characters are the most poignant, and convincingly human, of the summer.
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com
By the end of this phantasmagorical journey, I was as wrapped up in the precarious fate of these two wounded kids and the honorable yakuza warlords of Treasure Town as I've been in any film all year.
Beth Accomando, KPBS.org
Tekkon Kinkreet: Black and White is an enthralling anime and easily the best-animated film you will see this year.
Marc Mohan, Oregonian
For grown-ups who can let the story wash over them without asking too many questions, it's a treat.
Scott Collura, IGN Movies
Tekk it or leave eet.
Maitland McDonagh, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Anime enthusiasts will want to take a look, but the film is too uneven to serve as a good introduction to the form.
Jim Hemphill, Reel.com
Since the movie more or less abandons all pretense of naturalism somewhere around its midpoint, in the end the expressionistic frenzy of light, movement, and color that takes over is enough to make it worth seeing.
Eric Kohn, New York Press
Borrowing in equal measures from innocuous child fantasies and Street Fighter, the colorfully imaginative world of Tekkonkinkreet has its fair share of marvels.
Edward Douglas, ComingSoon.net
Wins you over with its sense of style and attention to detail ... a fine display of what can be done in hand-drawn and painted animation.
Jeremy Knox, Film Threat
A mournful poem about childhood and adulthood.
Paul Schrodt, Slant Magazine
The movie is a collection of disparate anime parts that never really comes together.
Doug Cummings, Filmjourney
If it doesn't quite achieve seamless plotting and colorful dialogue, it makes up for it by merging highly stylized animation with live action aesthetics in remarkably immersive ways.

Read all 16 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

_kelly .

This is the sort of movie that I would normally love, but the story is not there. The animation, is of course, fantastic, beautiful, and original. I may be unfair to this movie though, as I couldn't get past 70 minutes in. The plot was just plain blah and I didn't have that… More
This is the sort of movie that I would normally love, but the story is not there. The animation, is of course, fantastic, beautiful, and original. I may be unfair to this movie though, as I couldn't get past 70 minutes in. The plot was just plain blah and I didn't have that instant interest in Black and White, whereas the best scifi animes of this sort are only good if you care about the characters, otherwise it's just a pretty pictures romp, and that's all I saw here. Granted, many people think I overpraise Metropolis (2001) and underpraise the first Ghost in the Shell, so I'm not a good barometer, as when it gets to my fave genres, that's where I'm the most picky, and I couldn't pick out anything about this movie that made me *love* it or even want to watch it again.
Saskia D

I rewatched this movie again, I just can't believe how good it is. Not only is it visually stunning, it is fast, dynamic and has depth. The connection between the two brothers (who are strays, and orphans) is touching and powerful. I already said too much, just see it. <div… More
I rewatched this movie again, I just can't believe how good it is. Not only is it visually stunning, it is fast, dynamic and has depth. The connection between the two brothers (who are strays, and orphans) is touching and powerful. I already said too much, just see it. <div style="width:405px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com/movie/tekon-kinkurito/photos?p=11458911"><img src="http://content9.flixster.com/photo/11/45/89/11458911_ori.jpg" border="0"/></a><div style="text-align:center;font-size:10px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com">