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Made between 1999 and 2002, the Dead or Alive films cemented director Takashi Miike’s reputation overseas as one of the most provocative Enfants Terrible of Japanese cinema, yet also one of its most talented and innovative filmmakers.
I recently reviewed Arrow’s release of Takashi Miike’s “Black Society Trilogy.” While those films were often somber in tone and reminiscent of vintage Scorsese, the “Dead or Alive” trilogy is a combination of much more over-the-top craziness with a healthy dose of gross-out scenes and comedy in the vein of Peter Jackson. While “Dead or Alive” is a trilogy, the three movies are not connected at all so it’s hard to review the series as a whole other than to note its general tone. The only thread running between the scenes is that stars Riki Takeuchi and Show Aikawa appear in all three films. Also, the third movie is not nearly as good as the first two. Arrow has remastered transfers which currently are the best way to watch these films in terms of quality.
“Dead Or Alive” (1999)
I watched this movie twice and it’s hard to give anything close to a plot summary. The film runs on at a frantic pace and uses lots of intercuts, giving something of the impression of a music video. The opening montage is probably my favorite sequence (so far) of Miike’s. It depicts gay rape, slit throats, strippers, and a huge amount of cocaine.
The central plot involves a yakuza boss (Aikawa) who is estranged from his wife and sleeping on the couch, that is pitted against opposing yakuza. This whole plot thread is very reminiscent of Michael Mann’s “Heat,” which likely influenced Miike.
There’s a scene that you’d have to watch to believe: a woman is drowned in a pool filled with her own poop. This scene marks the second time I’ve seen a poop bath in a film. Poop baths are not easily forgotten by the viewer but it’s probably a good litmus test to determine if you’d like to watch this film. I enjoy the weird and wacky so “Dead Or Alive” was a joy to watch.
“Dead Or Alive 2: Birds” (2000)
The second film in the series is more personal than the first. “Birds” has much more of the tone from “Black Society,” combined with the same insanity of the first “Dead Or Alive.”
The film concerns a yakuza assassin who has his mark taken away by another hitman with bright blonde hair, Mizuki (Show Aikawa). Mizuki tracks down the other assassin to discover that the two killers are former friends. As a film, “Dead Or Alive 2: Birds” is probably my favorite in the series. While there are some crazy moments, the film is ultimately nostalgic and sweet in its ruminations about childhood bonds. While the first film was contained within the city, this one opens up a bit and shows the countryside’s mountains and beaches. The film relies on a heavy dose of violence and it’s the combination of the film’s brutality mixed with its sweetness that makes this film enjoyable.
“Dead Or Alive: Final” (2002)
The last film in the “Dead Or Alive” series ends on a flat note. The film relies too heavily on the work of George Miller in the “Mad Max” series with depictions of a futuristic Yokohama in which a totalitarian government runs things and intercourse is outlawed. As there are wants to be in these types of stories, there is an underground rebellion protesting the totalitarian authority. The film, though, relies on these heavily-borrowed genre ideas while adding nothing new or original to the mix. There also is much less of the craziness from the first two movies. The Wachowskis’ “bullet-time” framing from “The Matrix” is used in this film, which makes me think that Miike is very much influenced by American directors.
“Dead Or Alive” is a strange, confusing film. By no means is it a bad movie, it just moves quickly, is difficult to understand in places, and presents tons of interesting concepts and scenes. If the stellar fragments from “Dead Or Alive” don’t add up to something more than the parts, that doesn’t mean this is a bad “trilogy,” it’s just not a flawless series. If you’re going to watch this film, you need to be able to watch some huge gross-out scenes as well as sit through some less exciting moments. While I’m certainly a fan of the series, “Black Society” is note-for-note, a much more powerful group of films than “Dead Or Alive.”
The “Dead Or Alive” Trilogy is now available in a 2-Disc Special Edition Blu-ray from Arrow Video
