User Reviews

Takashi Miike's "Dead or Alive:Hanzaisha" left me speechless.The opening sequence is incredible in its style-we have strippers at work,several bloody shoot-outs,a gangster getting his throat slashed while sodomizing a young man in a public toilet etc.The finale is also amazing-I was literally blown away!The film is strangely amoral-check out especially the scene in which two punks making animal porn try feverishly to excite an Alsatian dog so it can mount naked girl in their presence.The film is not as violent and sadistic as the other Miike's works like "Visitor Q",but there are some really strong images that will surely linger in the memory.The acting is very good,the direction is well-handled and the film is hallucinogenic at times.All in all if you're fed up with predictable Hollywood's action trash check this one out!

On the DVD for Dead or Alive, the first in the trilogy, director Takashi Miike is asked how he would describe the movie to someone who had no idea what it was about, and he describes it as an "enjoyable, healthy Yakuza movie". 'Healthy' is a word I tried to put into context with the film after seeing it, and I'm still not sure how it applies, except maybe in the sense of Miike sticking to a good deal of conventions this time around. It's definitely not that one can't see Miike's mark all over the picture, as it certainly isn't your grandfather's yakuza/crime movie (matter of fact not even John Woo). It's just that with certain elements, like the two main characters: the detective Jojima (Sho Aikawa) who's the decent, hard-nosed sort with the wife and daughter; and Ryuuichi (Riki Takeuchi), who has the face like one of those really crazy villain character actors in 40s film-noir, who wants to take over the mob in the area, by any means necessary. I felt like I could've seen some of this in any given yakuza thriller, albeit my lack of experience with the genre of "V-Cinema" in the 90s or yakuza thrillers in general.

Then again, for Miike he uses a lot of this to spring-board his own visual ideas and real tricks with the material. The way he starts to film is truly and unequivocally disorienting- I had to watch it twice just to sort of, kind of get a sense of what the hell I was watching. It gives the impression, which is both wrong and right with D.O.A., that it'll be a totally knock-your-socks-off work of gonzo film-making, where aberrant sex, brutal violence, drugs, and gangsters will always be lurking in the night (most disturbing is with the scene in the public bathroom, and then following it with the guy on the wheel-spinner being controlled by a guy on a bike). As the story goes into gear, however, this montage usage disappears, and Miike gravitates back into what one recognizes readily from his other films- fairly long takes and deep focus, and outbursts of insanely creative bits of trashy fun (highlights here include a woman who dies via pool of feces, which is actually really sick, a bit involving bestiality out of the blue, and a gigantic shoot-em-up Chinese vs Japanese battle where Ryuuichi and his gang kill both clans in one swift stroke).

Actually, seeing Miike in more genre-familiar territory isn't a bad thing, and sometimes a scene will come up that's meant to play seriously, and does, where in a lesser director would go for the cheap bits with lesser actors. An example of this is the fate of a character's brother, who betrays by taking money not really his and tries to talk his way out of it. So it's actually Miike still experimenting, though it's not a totally fulfilling trip in part because the conventions start to dull up in the middle. It's when Miike finally gets into that last third, with that wildly bloody shoot out- including both hilarious flights of fancy (a thug who was hiding comes out with a sword and goes ape-s*** all over one of the thugs) and the tragic (a character who was a surprise to show up gets killed). The fates grow darker for the detective character, who really was just looking for money somehow for an operation for his daughter. But his allegiance to the law gets put aside, and the "final scene" comes to a head.

Here Miike finally puts his 'wild-man of cinema' gears to full throttle, and it's exciting (as mentioned in trashy, violent, exploitive action-movie ways), ridiculous, and in the end jaw-droppingly funny. It's a good sign of things to come at the end, with the two big stars of V Cinema duking it out as if it's the old West again and the sheriff and outlaw have nothing to lose except for their 'special surprises' up their sleeves at the last bloody gunned down moment. What came before it wasn't all that great overall, and the first in the trilogy, even with a few sweet near X-rated touches of physical and psychological disturbance, doesn't amount to one of Miike's finest triumphs, I wouldn't of traded seeing the last three minutes of the film (final shot included) for anything. 7.5/10

In Japan, after a massacre of Japanese and Chinese gangsters, the tough and persistent Detective Jojima (Sho Aikawa) is in charge of the investigations, while dealing with a personal family problem. His daughter needs to be submitted to a surgery and he needs to raise twenty millions yens urgently. He finds that the Chinese descendant Ryuichi (Riki Takeuchi) has associated to a Taiwanese drug dealer and is eliminating the competition. In the end, their confrontation becomes a personal issue for both.

"Dead or Alive: Hanzaicha" is a hypnotically bizarre, insane, sick and violent police story. The fast paced beginning is absolutely crazy, like a video-clip of unexplained violence. Takeshi Miike does not develop well the characters, with the exception of the ambiguous Jojima and the ambitious Ryuichi. He intends to shock the audiences with repulsive scenes, like for example the anal sex with a homosexual and with a dog, almost explicit oral sex, abusive use of drugs, perversions, sadism, drowning in feces and blood shed. The result of this madness is like a modern western-spaghetti, with the death of all characters. I liked this film, but it is only recommended for very specific audiences. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Morrer ou Viver" ("To Die or To Live")

Hey this wasn't bad at all. I expected shocking violence and gory thrills, based on the film's reputation, but what I got instead was a thinking, feeling, bizarrely creative film. This was my first Takashi Miike film, and my expectations were low, partly because he's so hyped, and partly because I'm over being shocked, and his films have a reputation of being, well, shocking. The character of the cop is especially palpable, and the scenes that take place in his home are more like the quiet moments of a Beat Takeshi film. This dramatic realism is somehow anchored in the otherwise chaotic flow of the rest of the film. There's a real anything-can-happen vibe to this film that keeps you on the edge, yet when you reflect back upon it, there are really only a few heavy action sequences. I thought that was pretty brilliant, though some may feel disappointed by the low count of flipped cars. Hey wanna see an action film? See Formula 51; that had plenty of action, with no damn reason for any of it. And what a forgettable film that was. Dead or Alive is rollicking and at times inexplicable, but never boring. Highly recommended.

A yakuza of Chinese descent and a Japanese cop each wage their own war against the Japanese mafia. But they are destined to meet. Their encounter will change the world.

Right off the bat, we get a crazy opening sequence, culminating in a clown and a naked circus act. The film is notable for Takashi Miike's characteristic scenes of ultra-violence and perversity, which come casually littered throughout. Most notoriously, an "enema bath" scene which is juxtaposed with an existential soliloquy. But even that opening suggests something insane and frantic, with one gangster even snorting an impossibly long line of cocaine.

Although Miike already had made gangster films, and Japan had a long history of making films in the genre, this one had an unusual beginning: it was inspired by "Heat", from the casting of two major J-Video stars to the meeting up in the middle of the film. Are this film's stars on the level of Pacino and DeNiro? Of course not, but the parallel is there.

What may be most interesting from a critical point of view is the ethnic aspect, which reflects on the deep history of Japanese-Chinese relations. This comes up again and again in the Black Society Trilogy, but no less so here. As Tom Mes says, this is Miike's "most overt statement on ethnic and cultural rootlessness." The idea that a Chinese-Japanese man may look Chinese or Japanese but is neither Chinese nor Japanese is very much entwined with that specific region. There simply is no equivalent in the United States. A Mexican-American is not rejected by society, for example. As the character sums up, "We're really not anything."

This really seems to be the crux of the film, and may perhaps be a story of ethnicity disguised as a gangster tale. We find that the one mother's grave is in a swamp, showing just how disrespectful society was towards her. Tom Mes says the characters "are forced to dwell on the fringes of society", literally in the swamp. The 2017 Arrow Blu-ray is an improvement over previous releases and now stands as the definitive home release. Miike expert Tom Mes is again tapped to provide insightful commentary. We also have new interviews with writer-producer Toshiki Kimura, actor Show Aikawa and actor Riki Takeuchi. There are also archival features. Arrow has not packed part two and three with as many features, but the box set as a whole is wonderful (and the interviews with Aikawa and Takeuchi can really apply to any of the three films).

I have no other way to say it: this movie was brilliant! When I saw it last week at the Rotterdam Film Festival, I was completely blown away! And I wasn't the only one... Several other people at the theater actualy gave a (well deserved) standing ovation! This movie was just extraordinary. Not Miiki Takashi's best work (that would be Audition), but certainly one of his most enjoyable and fun flicks! I am amazed that the director is so unknown outside of Japan, because he really is a genius, inventing cinema all over again. He is only in the movie making business for about four years, but already has a body of work that counts no less than 15 movies which are all original and perfect in their own way. In Japan he is well known and is counted to the film avantgarde, but none of his movies really got a wide cinema distribution. Most of his movies are relatively low budget and made for TV, Video or small cinema release. Maybe this gives him the freedom to constantly re-invent himself and push the limit of movie-making in general and perverse, cruel detail in perticular.

Now back to Dead or Alive. The first ten minutes are just breathtaking and eccentric. But after this the movie pulls back into a more conventional Yakuza vs. Cop story, only to go completely over the top at the end. The end effectively blows up every genre convention and just HAS to be seen to be believed.

The basic story is, like I said, quite conventional and simple; a cop tries to solve a case of a group of hitman who have robbed an armored truck. This of course can not be done without getting personally involved and if that wasn't hard enough, he has some grave family trouble too, because his daughter needs an operation which he can not pay. Meanwhile the leader of the killer group is reunited with his younger brother he raised, who does not know anything about his profession. The kid brother tough is destined to choose sides once he finds out that blood money payed for his college education abroad. Meanwhile the band of killers gets involved in a yakuza gang war, fighting over a drug cartel.

The middle part, in which the story unfolds, is shown with very little action and at moments can be compared to the calm style of Takeshi Kitano. But Takashi's signature is always very clear, and there are a lot of small perverse elements that illustrate his tendency to push it to the limit. There is a scene, for example, where a gangster kills a girl by drowning her in a kiddy pool filled with her own poop. But over all the story is told in a very compassionate way, sometimes balancing on the edge of melodrama, but never getting too sentimental because there always is a certain ironic detatchment. Despite this sometimes Kitanoesque detatchment and calm, the movie succeeds in making you really care for and relate to the charakters. I think this really is a big accomplishment. Finally combining this more conventional, 'humane' crime/drama story with the outrageousness of the beginning and the end, and making this combination work, shows how brilliant Takeshi really is. A director that has to be watched carefully!

10 out of 10

Takashi Miike's Dead or Alive (1999) begins perhaps as strikingly as ever possible. The very first 5 minutes of this film are incredibly fast paced and edited series of brutal and unexplained (yet) Yakuza murders and images from one sleazy night club in which this mayhem mostly takes place. After that, the speed slows down remarkably and the rest of the film reminds me pretty much of the great art of Takeshi Kitano, another Japanese cinema master. Dead or Alive tells the story of two men against each other, one policeman who has to do dirty things with Yakuza in order to get money for his daughter's expensive medical treatment (she has some dangerous and lethal disease) and the other a charismatic Yakuza criminal and these two men are little like Danny Lee and Chow Yun Fat in John Woo's The Killer; Both these men are on the different sides of the law but share many similar traits and thus respect each other. At the film's finale, which is again extremely over-the-top insanity, they finally confront and it is again something as hysterical that can be invented only by this Japanese director or some other from the East. Dead or Alive's beginning and ending are as fast and outrageous as possible and the middle part of the film is very slow and calm. This creates an extremely effective contrast to the film and reminds me very much of Miike's masterpiece, Fudoh from 1996.

Dead or Alive includes many memorable characters which are from sick pervert Yakuzas (who like to drown people into feces etc.) to junkies and university fellows which all are interesting and personal in the hands of this director. The film tells about many sides of humanity and about things we don't usually want to discuss or at least films don't usually discuss! The most important element in the film however is the finale which thickens it all. The conclusion of this ultra original Yakuza drama is exactly the same as Fudoh's whole point, which is that in the human nature and psyche, there is this thing which necessarily doesn't make it impossible to categorize humans as brutes and savages as it all is destructed because of these reasons in Dead or Alive. Enemies cannot stop until it's too late, and nobody is willing to "give up." Man kills man and acts only more "sophisticatedly" than the actual animals and wild beasts of nature. This is very usual topic in Japanese, honest, cinema and it is one thing which usually makes their movies so unique and brilliant.

The finale in Dead or Alive includes things which are not likely to be imagined especially when the whole film before it (excluding the beginning, of course) was so calm and almost peaceful. The finale is very easy to take seriously as it's meant to be as Miike only says his things with different methods, with the methods of this magic filled form of art. When people don't like elements like these in movies, I think it's because of the fact that they don't want to / cannot accept all the possibilities of this art and thus cannot deal with such imagery and elements in films. It all has to be interpreted in order to understand what film maker has to say and give with his/her film. Miike has said he wants that the viewer can be entertained at the same time, but I'm extremely happy that Miike still keeps these entertainment efforts on the background and things in his films which are meant to be entertaining, are also very personal and tolerable and never calculated as in some Hollywood mainstream effort of nowadays'.

Dead or Alive is no less cinematically stunning as Miike's other films. This includes fine use of photography and long shots without edits. The editing is also great especially in this first 5 minutes when the mayhem is so fierce. It all is done with skill and the fast edits never become irritating as they have been finished with care and interest. The often cartoonish violence is somewhat brutal at times and definitely the most graphic elements of this film will alienate most casual viewers as some of the characters and the acts they commit are very sick and repulsive. When a film is this symbolic and almost surreal, the violence doesn't have to be realistic or "believable" either as it is too symbolic and one element in the film. I think Dead or Alive isn't gratuitously violent or sadistic as it all serves the morality of the characters and the world this film depicts.

Dead or Alive isn't quite as great as Fudoh, but still extremely pleasant film from Takashi Miike, who makes films at incredible speed. He makes some 5 or more films per year and most of them are equally personal and inventively wild and mad. I hope this man can continue his "freedom" as a film maker and that he'd never go to mainstream (not to speak of Hollywood!) and fortunately his statements so far don't show signs about this. 9/10

...bad. Not bad ass, not "so bad that it's good", just bad. Miike (whose Audition I *gasp* enjoyed) takes post-post-John Waters depraved acts and film making and makes it reach full bloom in this movie. Don't expect a masterpiece in the vein of Gonin and Hana-Bi - the similarity in theme is quickly counterbalanced by an irrational flow of obscenity and deviance (sexually oriented clearly wins on this one) that covers any remnants of plot or philosophy. And what is most striking is that Miike didn't even bother trying to make a point by employing such a host of deranged acts.

I guess that the only film that comes close to this level of close-mindedness would be Naked Blood - much ado about nothing. The ending is mildly hilarious, but the film as a whole doesn't hold a candle to the real experimental classics of Seijun Suzuki, for example. Miike doesn't struggle to achieve the whimsical, just more and more scabrous. The plain gangster violence scenes were rather well executed, but there is no place for real soul in this film. Avoid it, or watch it with your pals when you get boomed on booze or when you think that you've seen way too many good movies in the last 10 years.

Watch out, this one is not for the squeamish AND those without a sense of humour. The first five minutes are the biggest roller coaster ride I've experienced in a long, long while and left me breathless. What follows is a mix of heroic bloodshed, Yakuza-flics and manga in the flesh. The ending left me laughing way into my eighth drink. Not as creepy as his Audition, but way more fun.

I'm a big Takashi Miike fan, and this movie definitely belongs in my collection. However, I could see why most people would look past it. The opening scene is fantastic, with fast action and motion between situations. After that the movie slows down significantly, and I believe too much so.

The story is very well written and filled with tension, but the acting is sub-par. One of the main characters, Ryu, shows barely any emotion throughout, even at points where he clearly should. An event that directly precedes the ending is in my book one of the most unexpected twists in Miike history. The ending itself is just ridiculous.

Unless you're a college student like me, or a fan of the absurd, this ending will validate throwing the movie away. While it may seem like I'm a little harsh, its only because I've set my standards for Miike so high. Overall, a good movie to watch if you like Japanese exploitation films.

What a different Yakuza film. I don't care what anyone says. takashi Miike is a new force to be reckoned with. This is an in your face movie if I ever did see one. The opening five minutes lets you know that there is NO safe haven here at all. Not to mention you will NOT want to be eating spaghetti while watching it. Just take my word for it. Eat your dinner after you watch this film. The movie plays as a typical Yakuza film until the very end and then it switches to "what the heck just happened her?". That is why you must also see Dead or Alive 2 and Dead or Alive 3:Final to get the gist of it. Also recommended are Takashi Miike's Fudoh The New Generation, Ichi The Killer, and City Of Lost Souls.

Dead or Alive is a Japanese direct-to-video Yakuza flick with a lot of violence, a bit of sex, and a sprinkling of perversion. It begins with a kinetic montage of Yakuza violence, which sets the stage for a somewhat convoluted story about a policeman and a young group of hoodlums that are trying to cut into the Yakuza's action. The story progresses normally, and then ends, as the Director says, like a head-on collision with a 18 wheeler.

That ending though, is bad. The characters are flat--even more so than is usual in a Miike film--and largely bland, nothing like the amazing people that populate the cinematic worlds of Ichi the Killer or Audition. All that saves this film from being a consummate bore are Miike's trademarked scenes of surreal violence and perversion--and these are certainly here in full force.

This is an entertaining film for the genre and budget, but it's likely to disappoint those expecting another small Miike masterpiece.

I do follow Takashi Miiki on a regular base. Most of his flicks I do like, for example Audition (1999) I liked a lot, as did Ichi The Killer (2001). Both contained gore and horror and suspense. The one I liked most was his entry in the Masters Of Horror franchise with Imprint (2006). But now and then he makes flicks that aren't gory and do have a strange feeling with weird humor. Yatterman (2009) was a perfect example but this here is also a warning that he was changing towards weird flicks.

Although the script looked great it wasn't really my thing. It do has a flashy opening and do has a few nasty scene's that you won't forget like the dog being masturbated until it got a hard-on to penetrate a naked girl. Bestiality galore. But it also contains things that made me go say, WTF.

The acting was okay and the fight scene's did look okay. The red stuff is available and the nudity is in tact and still it didn't really got my attention. It gave me the same feeling I had with Yatterman. Luckily he (Miiki) showed me he still can deliver it, 13 Assassins (2010) was a masterpiece but Dead Or Alive, not for me.

Gore 1,5/5 Nudity 1/5 Effects 2/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 1/5

No one else but Miike could have made this movie. It has one of the most furious openings ever filmed (and c-c-cut) that leaves you completely breathless, then develops into a serious tale about a small group of gangsters fighting their way up the ladder, and a cop trying to squeeze the yakuza hard enough so he can get a big enough bribe to buy his daughter a heart surgery, and ends in the most insane-ending of all time! It shouldn't work, but it does on SO many levels! All Hail Miike!

10/10

Directed by the same guy who did Ichi The Killer, this is about as violent as Japanese movies get (not that that's a bad thing, cuz Japanese crime rate is actually pretty low, and the Japs are pretty mature when it comes to making art out of sex and violence).

Lots of blood, gore, unexpected twists (that don't seem intentional), and a tad of homosexual/homoerotica thrown in just for the hell of it).

The ending was kinda messed up (maybe there's an intellectual answer of it somewhere :/ ) and left me thinking 'WTF.'

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-- whoops! Okay, here ya go--> Japanese ultra violence late 90s 1999 death kill yakuza cops VS takashi miike homosexuality samurai spirit a tad screwed up alternative

Every movie made by Miike is a completely new experience. Forget everything you have ever learned and thought about him and start all over.

Each and everyone will move the earth beneath you. It's a visual experience and very demanding on your soul. Miike tries to step over the line with every new movie.

The intro is one of the worst/best I have ever seen so far in my life. It's like life on speed! Then the movie moves into attitude, action, violence and some taboos! No other director would use as much kinky stuff as Miike does in this movie. So, if you can't stand scat and animal sex, beware!!!

Riki Takeuchi is one true great actor. He is perfect for his role. Mean and nasty and a borderline psychopath. Great Fun if you love Miike!

I was so blown away by the first ten or fifteen minutes of this movie that I had to watch it three or four times before continuing on with the rest of the film. Technically and emotionally the first part of this film is some of the most intense rapid fire visuals ever put on screen. Its so good that when its over and the film calms down, the rest of the film pales in comparison.

This is the story of two hit men and... well... frankly I don't care. I mean that opening flourish was so great I stopped caring as to what was going on. Obviously the film couldn't keep up with that level of frantic motion, but for me the film simply stopped dead until the end, but by that time I was lost and distracted.

Twelve out of Ten for the opening, 4 out of ten over all.

Dead Or Alive is not one of director Takashi Miike's best movies, but it is great fun. The story is basically cops vs gangsters, with the added wrinkle of yakuza vs triads.

The middle hour or so of the movie is pretty standard fare for the most part, but the beginning and ending are bugf**k. The end in particular probably frustrates and annoys some people, but I found it hilarious.

A fun, '80s-retro visual style and some pretty good acting helps the movie immeasurably, as does the hard rock soundtrack.

A lot of the plot is pretty obscure, but I thoroughly enjoyed the movie as a fun ride. It's not as intense or graphic as some of Miike's movies such as Ichi the Killer, but it's worth seeing.

Somebody definitely slipped something into my drink...

Takashi Miike had definitely cemented himself as an auteur by the time this film had come out. This film for better or worse reaffirms his status as one of the most outlandish, genuinely bonkers directors working today. Within the first minute of the film we get a crime riddled montage filled with over the top gore and violence. Featuring and not limited too a naked woman plummeting to her death with a bag of cocaine that explodes upon impact. A crazed mafia boss doing a fifteen foot line of coke, that would be more then enough to put an elephant into a catatonic shock!

What then follows is a pretty tame (by Miike's standard) Yakuza story about two gangs at war and the cops in the middle. There's not really much to say about the plot other then it was fine for what it was. However after a 'shocking' turn of events (which was fairly obvious) the film builds to a truly bizarre shoot-out between the two main characters that would make even David Lynch say WTF?!

Within the first couple of minutes the film (as with most of Miike's) the directing and editing is so outlandish you either role your eyes in derision or you jump on board for a wild ride, unfortunately I found myself in the former.