MovieChat Forums > Hana-bi (1998) Discussion > The woman at the restaurant...

The woman at the restaurant...

posted 18 years ago by MrE2Me
9 replies | jump to latest

...that Nishi visits and sends packages to - is she the widow of his dead partner, or the wife who left his crippled partner? Her scenes were so short, and there was almost no dialogue, I wasn't sure...

Also, I don't understand why he feels so guilty for either of the things that befell his partners. I understand wishing you could've done more, but what did he NOT do that should make him, specifically, feel so guilty? Especially the second guy who ends up crippled. How did that have anything to do with him? I have a hunch the subtitles on my copy might have left some things out.

[–] Jabbapop 18 years ago

i think he has some kind of "tragedy" complex. his daughter dies, his wife gets cancer, his partner is killed. so many bad things happen to those around him, so he becomes very introspective and sensitive to it all. that thought process could lead him to think, "maybe if i wasn't visiting my wife when i should have been on duty, these bad things wouldn't have happened to my partners."

[–] MrE2Me 18 years ago

Good point, thanks. How about the lady he visits in the restaurant? I think she's supposed to be the widow, but can anyone verify that?

[–] visualsynergy 18 years ago

I'm pretty sure it was the wife of his dead partner, because Horibe (his more current partner) says that his family left him after he was put into a wheelchair, which would lead you to believe that they left him rather than dying.

[–] MrE2Me 18 years ago

Ok, thanks. I didn't think he'd act so friendly with the family that abandoned his partner, but you never know...

[–] imwithstupid_35 17 years ago

He feels guilty for Horibe because he took his shift on the stakeout so NIshi can visit his wife in the hospital.

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http://www.ymdb.com/mehsuggeth/l35858_ukuk.html

[–] chubbykipper 16 years ago

Exactly, if Nishi hadn't visited his wife he would have taken the bullet not Horibe. And the woman in the restaurant was definitely the widow of the man who was killed on the stakeout. It was also his unchecked rage when he attacked the suspect at the shopping mall that led to the scene escalating to a shootout and his partners getting shot.

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[–] Kawada_Kira 11 years ago

Yeah, she was the wife of his dead partner. It was said clearly a couple times that her husband was dead. He blamed himself for her husband's death, so he took it upon himself to check up on her and take care of her.

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[–] lubin-freddy 10 years ago

She is most definitely the widow. First of all, we first see the flashbacks of his death when Nishi visits her. Secondly, Nishi wouldn't be visiting, and certainly not aiding, the woman who left the paralyzed partner.

In both cases he felt guilt. In one, he left the scene to visit his wife, while in the other he let himself get thrown off the suspect.

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[–] 10 years ago

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