The guy went from being a hugely popular TV presenter and comedian known for making fun of cripples and uglies to writing and directing gangster movies to making touching and romantic movies but is also the lead actor in his films. He's a pretty cool cat if you ask me. The Joe Hisaishi soundtracks are a perfect fit, too
Hana-bi, Sonatine, Violent Cop, Outrage, Kikujiro, A Scene at the Sea, Kids Return, Zatoichi, the rest of them, I feel it's time to revisit some of these gems
he makes pretty cool paintings too