We're not talking about the Hollywood movies based on the video games, but the Dead or Alive trilogy by Japanese madman director Takashi Miike. These are three must see movie downloads if you're in the mood for something strange.
The first film in the trilogy, Dead or Alive, was conceived simply to get two of Japan's biggest cult legends together, Sho Aikawa and Riki Takeuchi. These two are sort of the Japanese cult film answer to DeNiro and Pacino, so Dead or Alive is sort of the Japanese cult answer to Heat. It was also focused on solving one of the primary problems with that movie: The anti-climactic ending.
We won't spoil that ending for you, but save to say that it certainly solves the whole anti-climax problem. From beginning to end, the whole movie is like one big super climactic showdown. Every minute you're going to be seeing something you've never seen before, something you can't believe you just saw, and something you wish you hadn't seen.
The second in the trilogy offers a different sort of approach with the same crazy style. This one recasts the two leads as two new characters. Where the first had the two as rival cop and gangster, this one has them as a pair of hitmen who grew up together and who donate all of their money to fighting diseases in developing countries.
This one is much more positive, much more life affirming, and surprisingly sweet and sentimental, whereas the first was relatively dark and negative in comparison. It's interesting having these two movies, that are so different from each other, and yet have so much in common.
The third film, Dead or Alive Final, goes in the science fiction direction, more specifically, cyberpunk, with replicants and evil dystopian governments. While it might not be the most exciting of the trilogy, it's worth seeing so you can check out how it ties the whole thing together in such a strange way.
Check out Deadly Outlaw Rekka if you want more Miike. It has the same sort of over the top, insane attitude towards the story, and recasts Riki Takeuchi in the title role, as he seeks to avenge the death of his surrogate father. What really makes that movie work is the style. The story is standard revenge stuff, but it's all set to an alternative rock album from the seventies by the Traveling Sunflower Band, and the action is all out stuff. Takeuchi also turns in an interesting performance as the unstable and unpredictable Rekka.
The first movie's trailer proudly declares that Miike is the dog with rabies of the Japanese film world, and it's true, it's not just a clever tagline for the trailer. The guy makes something like five or six movies a year, and has made about one hundred since his debut some years ago. He is one of the most prolific directors out there, and while the quality varies, if only one in ten is any good, he's already one of the greats.
The first film in the trilogy, Dead or Alive, was conceived simply to get two of Japan's biggest cult legends together, Sho Aikawa and Riki Takeuchi. These two are sort of the Japanese cult film answer to DeNiro and Pacino, so Dead or Alive is sort of the Japanese cult answer to Heat. It was also focused on solving one of the primary problems with that movie: The anti-climactic ending.
We won't spoil that ending for you, but save to say that it certainly solves the whole anti-climax problem. From beginning to end, the whole movie is like one big super climactic showdown. Every minute you're going to be seeing something you've never seen before, something you can't believe you just saw, and something you wish you hadn't seen.
The second in the trilogy offers a different sort of approach with the same crazy style. This one recasts the two leads as two new characters. Where the first had the two as rival cop and gangster, this one has them as a pair of hitmen who grew up together and who donate all of their money to fighting diseases in developing countries.
This one is much more positive, much more life affirming, and surprisingly sweet and sentimental, whereas the first was relatively dark and negative in comparison. It's interesting having these two movies, that are so different from each other, and yet have so much in common.
The third film, Dead or Alive Final, goes in the science fiction direction, more specifically, cyberpunk, with replicants and evil dystopian governments. While it might not be the most exciting of the trilogy, it's worth seeing so you can check out how it ties the whole thing together in such a strange way.
Check out Deadly Outlaw Rekka if you want more Miike. It has the same sort of over the top, insane attitude towards the story, and recasts Riki Takeuchi in the title role, as he seeks to avenge the death of his surrogate father. What really makes that movie work is the style. The story is standard revenge stuff, but it's all set to an alternative rock album from the seventies by the Traveling Sunflower Band, and the action is all out stuff. Takeuchi also turns in an interesting performance as the unstable and unpredictable Rekka.
The first movie's trailer proudly declares that Miike is the dog with rabies of the Japanese film world, and it's true, it's not just a clever tagline for the trailer. The guy makes something like five or six movies a year, and has made about one hundred since his debut some years ago. He is one of the most prolific directors out there, and while the quality varies, if only one in ten is any good, he's already one of the greats.
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