Home
Home

Dead Or Alive (1999)

DVD Cover (Kino Video)
Add to Collection
Sign up to add this to your collection
Add to Favorites
Sign up to add this to your favorites
Overall Rating 67%
Overall Rating
Ranked #4,802
...out of 20,196 movies
Check In? Sign up to check in!

Connections: Dead Or Alive

Ryūichi and his small gang of Triad vie for control of the Japanese underworld in a crime-ridden Shinjuku quarter while Detective Jojima tries to bring it down. Jojima attempts to start a gang war between the Triad and yakuza. Ryūichi and Jojima meet. --TMDb
User Image
Review by Ginose
Added: February 13, 2010
Takashi Miike is a king among men, in my humble (most fanboy of) opinion, and I would easily consider him my favorite director of this or any other era of film, but for a multitude of reasons, many of which probably not too relatable by most. My own reasons include his notable balance of artistic to commercial films released in his rather verbose filmography (coming up near three or four films a year) and his almost perfect consistency of quality film-making. Sure, a number of his titles (the majority) are rather niche, and only really fill the bill for the market they're directed at (would anyone other than art-house/samurai-drama buffs enjoy "Izo"? Have any?), but they succeed so well at what they are meant to do that they can very from great films to fucking masterpieces; perhaps these rules don't apply to all of his work (every director has their "One Missed Call", the one they did for the paycheck), but when the VAST majority of the seventy plus films you've directed hit AT LEAST above average with fans of their genres then there's a very good chance you've got talent.

Perhaps, like my Lynch rant on "Blue Velvet", I'm just wearing fan-blinders, but almost all of his films that I've seen are downright excellent, some complete masterpieces that I have seen in the excess of nine or ten times, but, oddly enough, he's still not as well-respected as he should be on our side of the pond (in the general-public, that is) and perhaps that's appropriate. It's no secret among people who know his work that he is known for being extremely graphic, visceral and unforgiving in his work, both on the artistic and commercial fronts which, although jarring and, perhaps, provocative, still makes almost each of his films unique (even though it finds itself as the trademark formula for his work), and most simply unforgettable. Strange as it is, the extreme front that his films are noted for may be the only thing that even gets his name and recognition, and the big-three "extreme" hits he's had in the west seem almost completely misunderstood over here, these three being "Audition", "Ichi the Killer" and "Dead or Alive".

With a brutally (though comically-satirical) intense opening sequence, three big-players in the Chinese-operated Yakuza syndicate are all assassinated in the same hour, executed by a group of Chinese immigrants under the leadership of Ryuichi, in a cunning plan to take control of a dope-route running through from Taiwan. All the while, Japanese detective Jojima is desperately trying to piece together the recent turn of events, all the while keeping connections with local yakuza in line and attempting to pull together funds for his teenage-daughter's much-needed operation.

The makings of what could be conventional "cops-and-robbers" piece are always redirected and twisted in the Miike-Formula, as the man has a strange fondness for the criminal underbelly of Japan, particularly the interactions from other Asian criminal worlds, and, I hate to say it, ever since the early 90s he's yet to turn-out a truly disappointing piece from this formula. The big problem with THIS film, however (again, almost ironically, one of his most recognized films) is that it, at times, almost directly parodies all of the yakuza-works he'd done up until then, so a good chunk of the humor is wasted in translation, but, overall, that doesn't keep it from being a rather functioning action film, keeping a break-neck pace at certain points, and a mellow, slow-paced (seemingly) interlude at others, never taking itself too seriously, but not giving a bit of obvious parody in its run time (well, until the ending... which is awesome...).

However, due to the fact that it is a very broad parody, the technical merits (in terms of acting and visual-technique) are often ignored; hoping people get the substance behind the production before the actual action-aspects, this isn't normally a very good idea, and it wasn't here, either. This style of writing/film-making also ends up making this one of his least accessible films, which deters most of people unfamiliar with the majority of Miike's yakuza films from understanding certain humorous things that the film relies heavily-on.

So, truthfully, I'd say this is a great film... I COULD say that, and it is in my opinion, but the things that confound me most are the reasons why this could possibly be one of his most recognizable works outside of Japan; it's got a sense of humor only fans could understand, a terribly wavering pace, an (albeit periodic) over-the-top style, and an ending that most people would play off as moronic. These things truly take away from the movie in anything other than its niche appeal.

Well, I suppose I have to give my old two-score again:
Personal enjoyment: 8.1/10
Film average: 6.6/10

It's an amazingly enjoyable feature, in the right mindset, but the weakest of the trilogy and easily the least accessible to the general audience.
Sign up to add your comment. Sign up to add your comment.
Recommended Movies
Dead Or Alive 2 Dead Or Alive: Final Bodyguard Kiba Fudoh: The New Generation Female Prisoner Scorpion: Death Threat Original Gangstas Score The Gentlemen Sicario Get Carter No Tomorrow Zebraman Full Metal Yakuza Scorpion: Double Venom The Boondock Saints Female Prisoner Scorpion: Beast Stable Yakuza Demon Osaka Tough Guys
Layout, reviews and code © 2000-2024 | Privacy Policy
Contact: Join us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Review Updates