You might not have heard of these movies. If you're thinking about the ones based on the Xbox and Playstation games, we're not talking about those, but rather the trilogy of bizarre action flicks by Japanese crazy-man director Takashi Miike. This trilogy of movie downloads offers just what you're looking for if you've gotten tired of the same old same old from American action flicks and you're ready for something a little different, and a little 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 the ending of Dead or Alive, but let's just say that it's certainly not an anti-climax. The entire movie is a thrill ride, starting with a rock video style montage that gets you into the movie's world fast, and culminating in an ending that you will not believe.
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.
The first movie in the series has a very negative edge to it, it's very harsh. This one is all heart, it's very positive, so it's interesting to see the whole thing flipped on its head. It also deals a little more responsibly with the cost of violence on a person's soul.
The third takes the whole series in an all new direction, going into science fiction akin to Blade Runner or Robocop, that sort of cyberpunk, androids and megacorporations sort of theme. It's probably the least interesting of the trilogy, but it's really interesting for how it ties the whole thing together.
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 trailer for the first movie in the trilogy proudly declares that Miike is the mad dog of Japanese film, and it's true, that's not just hyperbole. The guy makes something like four or five movies a year, and has created over one hundred total over the course of his career. Not all of them are of the same quality, but for just one in ten movies to be great, that's ten great films, which is more than most directors ever get a chance to put out. - 40727
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 the ending of Dead or Alive, but let's just say that it's certainly not an anti-climax. The entire movie is a thrill ride, starting with a rock video style montage that gets you into the movie's world fast, and culminating in an ending that you will not believe.
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.
The first movie in the series has a very negative edge to it, it's very harsh. This one is all heart, it's very positive, so it's interesting to see the whole thing flipped on its head. It also deals a little more responsibly with the cost of violence on a person's soul.
The third takes the whole series in an all new direction, going into science fiction akin to Blade Runner or Robocop, that sort of cyberpunk, androids and megacorporations sort of theme. It's probably the least interesting of the trilogy, but it's really interesting for how it ties the whole thing together.
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 trailer for the first movie in the trilogy proudly declares that Miike is the mad dog of Japanese film, and it's true, that's not just hyperbole. The guy makes something like four or five movies a year, and has created over one hundred total over the course of his career. Not all of them are of the same quality, but for just one in ten movies to be great, that's ten great films, which is more than most directors ever get a chance to put out. - 40727
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