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U.K. Market powerhouse Arrow Video has given Takashi Miike's lurid and exciting Dead or Alive a very solid new release here in the U.S. for fans and newcomers alike. Miike's DOA trilogy much like a lot of his work is a fast-paced, graphic, crazy, and sometimes surreal set of films that despite having the two same leads (Show Aikawa and Riki Takeuchi, both already staples of Miike's film by the time this series rolled onto the scene) are story-wise very, very different films. The first film is a more traditional sounding affair on paper, a dedicated cop trying to put an end to a bloodbath among Chinese and Yakuza gangs kickstarted by Takeuchi's trenchcoat-wearing Takeuchi and his "family" of outcasts. Of course Miike took a traditional story in a wild direction with an opening encompassing nearly every vice known to man cut between one bloody hit after another. The ending in particular takes this great and actually quite human film into uncharted territory and I won't spoil it for those who haven't seen it yet. The second film is a bit different, both Riki and Show are now hitmen who grew up at the same orphanage together on an island, they retreat there after a hit leaves them wanted by the police and angry Yakuza. There they come up with a plan to continue their trade but donate the money they make to poor children. Again, a very human and and odd film that while not quite as good in my opinion as the first is still a very solid sequel. The third film really took things into a different direction. Eschewing the gangs vs. gangs background of the first two we find ourselves in a near -future Blade Runner-esque Yokohama (actually filmed in Hong Kong) where an authoritarian mayor forces his citizens to take a form of birth control ... or else. A group of rebel enlist the aide of a replicant played by Show to fight against the mayor and his goon played by Riki. It's honestly not that great compared to the first two, it has ideas but never felt fully fleshed out and the lower budget doesn't do well for films of this genre. The ending was crazy although not as perfect a fit as the ones for the first two. On the technical side I can say the first two movies look pretty solid, DOA 1 in particularly looks clearer than the previous DVDs by Kino. The third film though sadly isn't a particularly good looking transfer although explained in a notice at the beginning of the film was shot in standard-definition making a full HD transfer almost impossible. It's a shame but another thing that can simply be chalked up to budget issues as it was a direct-to-video film in Japan. The extras are pretty tremendous much like a lot of Arrow's releases. The Riki Takeuchi interview here is my favorite one as it does span pretty much his entire career and he's very honest and forthcoming about his thoughts on the trilogy. The interviews with Show Aikawa and producer and screenwriter Toshiki Kimura are also very solid and informative. The sound quality is across the board excellent on this set, gunshots sound particularly thunderous compared to the older release. Overall if you are a newcomer with a strong stomach or a longtime fan this makes a great addition to your collection if you overlook the technical quality of the third film. Alongside the great packaging and lengthy booklet this is a very good collector's release of the series and should hopefully set in motion for a similar one of Miike's Ichi the Killer in the near future. Fabulous and Recommended.
Posted by DWolfe47
I have yet to see all three of these all the way though. I am very excited to have the trilogy from Arrow who are masters in 4K and 2K restorations.
Posted by JonnyCage
It’s guns blazing…action sizzling..and some of Takashi Miike’s best work
Posted by BigE123
