Dead Or Alive (2000): Welcome to Shinjuku - city of darkness and corruption and the setting for this stunning movie by Japanese director Takashi Miike. Here rapid-fire shoot-outs and twisted acts of perverse violence provide the backdrop for a vicious war between the Japanese Yakuza and the Chinese Triads and make for one of the most dizzying and spectacular openings ever committed to film. Ryuichi is a gangster who is driven by a desire for power and the memory of his deprived childhood. His younger brother Toji has just returned from studying in the U.S. Between... them they are about to learn some harsh lessons about life on the wrong side of the law. Meanwhile Detective Jojima finds himself drawn deeper into the world of the Yakuza as he continues to make dirty deals he hopes will help raise the money to pay for his daughter's life-saving operation. Uncompromising and fearlessly original Takashi's 'Dead Or Alive' takes a mind-bending journey into the dark and twisted world of ruthless gangsters dealers strippers and hookers... Dead Or Alive 2: Birds (2000): With Dead or Alive the extraordinarily gifted and prolific Miike Takashi created one of the most extreme and visually stunning films of his career. With Dead or Alive 2 he pushes the boundaries further than ever before. When Otamoko (Sho Aikawa) is hired to assassinate a ruthless gangster he is surprised to find a mysterious gunman make the hit before he gets the chance to pull the trigger. Deciding to take the money for the job he failed to complete Otamoko flees the city with Japanese Yakuza and the Chinese Triads hot on his trail. Hiding out on the island where he grew up he runs into the man who killed his target; an old friend named Sawada (Riki Takeuchi). Together they plan to use their shooting skills to rid the earth of evil and set out to hit the gang bosses and drug dealers who make the world a worse place. Dead Or Alive: Final (2002): Set in a post apocalyptic Yokohama where the population is kept under rigid control by a half crazed mayor Riki Takeuchi is a hard boiled cop and Show Aikawa a mellowed out drifter that hooks up with a gang of rebels. When the gang kidnap Takeuchi's son the wheels are set in motion that leads to an inevitable showdown. [show more]
Takashi Miike is a favourite director of mine, and as such, for me this is essential. The Dead or Alive series goes from the sublime to the ridiculous at amazing speed. The first film relies on adrenaline to tell a classic cops and robbers tale. Dead or Alive is quite a film, and audacious in its action and violence, but it isn't until part 2 that Miike finds the story's heart. Dead or Alive 2 is one of this prolific filmmaker's finest and most poignant works. The story centers around two hitmen who grew up together and are reunited late in life and find something worth living for themselves. YOu find yourself actually cheering these murderers on as the kill for the betterment of children around the world. The polit is a bit fantastic, however the execution, no pun intended, is heart-warming. Dead of Alive: Final, the, um, final part of the series goes to the complete end of sanity to deliver a sci-fi yakuza/triad story set in a bizarre future in which China has conquered Japan and the citizens of this Asian meganation speak a combination of Cantonese, Japanese, and English, and they all understand one another. It is kind of like Miike's tribute to Bladerunner, only with a sense of humor about it. Truly something the must be seen to be conprehended. All three films star Miike regluars and V-cinema heroes RIki Takeuchi and Sho Aikawa. They are given latitude to take their characters to places most directors would be scared to visit, and they do so beautifully. Anyone with any interest in modern Japanese cinema would do well to visit the worlds created in these films and stay a while, you'll be glad you did.
We will publish your review of Dead Or Alive Trilogy Box Set on DVD within a few days as long as it meets our guidelines.
None of your personal details will be passed on to any other third party.
This site uses cookies.
More details in our privacy policy
