Why was Kitano dissatisfied with the end result?

[deleted]

I would say he was more dissatisfied with his MPAA experience rather than the filming outside of Japan aspect. The producers promised him total control (final cut) and delivered. Problem is the movie presented in the US wasn't his final cut because scenes had to be changed/cut in order to get an R rating, which had to piss Beat off.

I also enjoyed the final result a lot, but I got to see the original cut, not the toned down US version, which was only present in the Blu-ray.

I can't say for sure if this was the reason, but it must have helped as well.

[after killing an Irish] Burn him, see if his ashes turn green - Bill the Butcher

Honestly I really liked this movie & it led me to a number of Kitano's other films, along with getting me interested in the modern Yakuza crime film genre in general.