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DVD Dead or Alive (Unrated Director's Cut)
The director of Dead or Alive, Takashi Miike, made his name on the international scene with Audition, a chilling psychological thriller that builds from a quiet start towards a prolonged torture sequence almost too unbearable to watch. But such deliberate pacing isn't typical of Miike, whose movies often assault the viewer with an onslaught of slam-bang action that makes John Woo look like Eric Rohmer. Dead or Alive, his most successful cops-vs-yakuza thriller to date, kicks off with six nonstop minutes of machine gun-paced violence, sex, and slaughter, all set to a pounding heavy-metal beat. Thereafter things calm down a little, though not much. Given Miike's penchant for murky, livid-toned visuals and skewed camera angles, it's not always too easy to work out exactly who's doing what to whom, but the general outline's clear enough. The Tokyo underworld is being torn apart by a turf war between the yakuza gangs and the invading Chinese triads. Ambitious yakuza member Ryuichi (Riki Takeuchi) isn't above playing both sides off against each other in his bid for power, while police detective Jojima (Sho Aikawa), himself none too scrupulous in his methods, is out to destroy the gangs.
Into this conventional plot framework Miike piles enough warped characters and bizarre, twisted happenings to fuel half-a-dozen Tarantino movies, while cheerfully borrowing--and inflating--key moments from such hard-boiled gangster-noirs as The Big Heat and Kiss Me Deadly. One character deep-fries his own hand, a stripper is drowned in a paddling-pool filled with her own excrement, and the literally apocalyptic finale, the showdown to end all showdowns, will leave you gasping. The appallingly prolific Miike, who regularly makes about five movies a year, has since directed two sequels--the first only three months after the original. --Philip Kemp
Review(s): DVD Dead or Alive (Unrated Director's Cut)
"oh shxt"
I just finished watching the movie and I must say that I haven't had a movie that actually made me say, "oh shxt" outloud so many times by myself. Although, I must say it's probably my least favorite Miike movie I've seen so far, it definately was a great movie. It does get rather slow, but that does make you appreciate the parts that jump out at you a lot more. Loved the ending. lol.
great film Dead or Alive
The film's middle, lacking the flash of the beginning and end might seem to drag a bit in comparison, but Miike populates the film with lurid details that keep it interesting. In one scene, Jojima, looking for clues, is talking to one of his underworld connections, who is busily trying to sexually excite a dog for a bestiality photo shoot. In another, Jojima grills a thug sporting a ludicrously large afro. As Miike gleefully undercuts taboos of polite society, a second theme rises to the fore - the discrimination of non-Japanese Asians living in Japan. At one point, the afro-ed thug argues that Ryuichi is a hero among all non-Japanese working in the underworld because he's willing to take all the societal alienation and estrangement and force it down the throats of the Japanese yakuza. Aside from the dizzying, genre-bending cinematic exploits, the film's sharp and intelligent dissecting of Japanese society makes Dead or Alive a truly fascinating, memorable film.
Very cool
Takashi Miike has made a lot of movies. "Prolific" does not even begin to describe the massive output of this energetic director. Therefore, it is not surprising that his films are hit and miss. Dead or Alive is Miike at his uninhibited best.
From the very first frame, the movie practically sparks and sizzles, threatening to jump off the screen and assault you physically. Eventually, the film settles down to a slow, ominous burn as the conflict between the two protagonists builds to one of the most outrageous finales in the history of cinema. I know that is a sweeping statement, but see for yourself.
Like all of Miike's best films, Dead or Alive is filled with intriguing images, powerful allegory, and extremely bizarre behavior of every sort.
Other cool Miike flicks: Vistor Q, Ichi the Killer, Audition, Fudoh, Young Thugs series.
Related DVD's Dead or Alive (Unrated Director's Cut)
I read quite a bit about this movie before actually seeing it. I was expecting some incredibly depraved, unholy sickness, just flowing over me and making me wonder why I wasn't turning the film off.
Eh.
That sure didn't happen. There's some unhappy stuff, but nothing shocking to me. It's not disturbing.
There is gore. I like that. I don't like that it's CGI. That about ruined it.
Then there's the story. Whatever. I didn't find it all that interesting, to be honest. WOOHOO SADOMASOCHISM. Yeah, ok. They got the point across fairly early on, and then the movie last another two hours. Really, this film kinda dragged near the end.
At least(MINOR SPOILER ALERT AHEAD) we got to see a little kid die. And in the end, that's what... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Takashi Miike DVD Release Date: Released the 18 November 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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This has to be the most outrageous and funnist movie I have ever seen. I think that the only taboo that wasn't covered was bestiality - maybe Takashi Miike's next movie. And to think that this film was actually shown on television in Japan - which I suppose is why (at least in my NR-version of the film) genitals were blurred out. Makes you wonder what type of subject matter the Japanese would consider as poor taste or out of bounds. In the U.S. this movie wouldn't even make it past the ratings board without getting an X rating. Some of the other reviewers wrote thorough enough synopses, so I won't repeat all that. I'll just say what I liked about the movie.
For one one thing I liked the way the movie keeps you off balance. As soon as you think you've got a line on what's... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Takashi Miike DVD Release Date: Released the 26 November 2002 Usually ships in 24 hours
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If you want the full sledgehammer-to-the-stomach effect of Audition, stop reading this review now. Just watch it and take the consequences. At first glance, Takashi Miike's jack in the box of a movie works like a romantic comedy: amiable widower Shigeharu Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi) decides it's time to find a new wife, and a friend suggests holding a fake audition to find the right girl. It soon becomes clear that there is something wrong with Aoyama's choice. This is no ordinary Fatal Attraction-style thriller, however; Audition slowly and carefully builds into a wrenching exploration of both deep male fears and the stereotype of the cute, submissive Japanese woman. Audition is by no means an easy movie to watch--even hardcore horror fans may have trouble--but it... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Ryo Ishibashi - Eihi Shiina Director(s): Takashi Miike DVD Release Date: Released the 04 June 2002 This item is currently not available.
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This movie is amazing. The storyline is a bit hard to follow due to the relentless violence and gore, but thats what this movie is all about. The gore is some of the best I've ever seen, and the characters all act as if they were straight out of cartoons. It is a fast paced, awesome, and badass movie from start to finish. The very end doesn't make much sense, and they should have just left that part out, but i guess it leaves room for a sequel. Overall, this movie is the best movie ever, people can stop making movies now because they cannot top this amazing, heart-wrenching (literally), fun, kickass, badass movie. More Info about this DVD Director(s): Ryuhei Kitamura DVD Release Date: Released the 19 August 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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DEAD OR ALIVE 2: THE BIRDS is an unusual sequel to one of the most interesting cult movies of the last ten years : DEAD OR ALIVE. It's not properly a sequel because the two main actors don't play the same characters and the story isn't connected with DEAD OR ALIVE plot.
The atmosphere of the movie is also very different from the first DEAD OR ALIVE. A lot less hysterical editings and non-stop action sequences in this film clearly divided in three parts. Between the first and the last part where action movies fans will find back the Takashi Miike they know, the two heroes spend a few days in their native island, remembering their childhood in an orphanage. These sequences are masterfully directed by Miike who confirms here that he's a more than interesting director. Recommended. More Info about this DVD Director(s): Takashi Miike DVD Release Date: Released the 25 November 2003 Usually ships within 24 hours
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