Dead Or Alive 2 details
| Format: | 18 DVD |
|---|---|
| Starring: | Edison Chen, Noriko Aota, Sho Aikawa |
| Directors: | Takashi Miike, Takashi Miike |
| Genres: | Thriller - Action/Adventure, Crime, World Cinema - Japanese |
| Studio: | SONY DADC |
| Name | Discs | |
|---|---|---|
Dead Or Alive 2 |
18 Feature |
DVD Information
| Run time: | 1 hour 35 minutes |
|---|---|
| Rental release: | 24 Feb 2003 |
| Main languages: | Japanese |
| Subtitles: | English |
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Most helpful review
Dead or Alive 2 is not...
By wrongnumber76#1 from LONDON , 06 Nov 2003[Highly rated reviewer]
Dead or Alive 2 is not one of Miike?s greater works, but it still packs a punch, visually, thematically and stylistically. While one could argue that Dead or Alive was a surreal subversion of the Yakuza v. Cops genre that has long been a mainstay of Japanese cinema ? taking the form to its violent limits and then (literally) exploding it, Dead or Alive 2 is more of a tale of memory and redemption. The film contains some amazing images and vignettes, particularly Shinya Tsukamoto?s incredible appearance as a crazed bar owner/magician who uses three fag packets to demonstrate the likely course of the gang war he inexplicably wants to provoke. However, it hangs together less comfortably than some of Miike?s other work. If I had not seen Ichi the Killer and Audition I would give it a ?4?, but Miike is such a great artist that I expect a lot of him. Still a must see for any fan of quality cinema.- Was this review helpful to you?
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(8)ok
By greyfox (119 reviews) from Whitstable , 28 Feb 2008again like the first quite twisted but still good.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Slow but Sharp
By Tim Machin from London, UK , 30 Mar 2006The story on the face of it is odd but pretty simple. Two childhood friends reunite after 30 years when they are both hired to kill the same Triad gang leader. From this they rediscover their friendship and go on a killing spree in order to donate money to children in the third world.
It isn’t so much the story line that draws you into this film it is the gradual descent into Japanese bizzaro world. The directorial devices create a dreamy and meandering effect that in some case assist the story but in others make the film appear somewhat disjointed. The only issue I found with this movie is the sense that it is too slow for an action flick and too violent to be anything else. This is defiantly a western opinion as in Japan mixing ultra-violence with comic characters or love stories is somehow second nature.
The acting is certainly passable if not exceptional. The action sequences are somewhat thin on the ground for Miike and look a little dated (although this has its benefits in terms of realism). All in all not bad but could do better.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Big disappointment
By Simon Simon , 23 Jun 2005This was a great disappointment. The action is sparse, the story just not very interesting and everyone looks bored.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Quite different
By Mootech from Hertfordshire , 29 Jan 2005Although this retains the main two actors from Dead or Alive, they play completely different characters in this name only sequel.
Miike Takashi shows he has more cards up his sleeve than the violent shocker style of film. This quieter and more subtle story has more in common with Beat Takeshi's Sonatine.
A chance to see something different from one of Japan's most entertaining directors. Can't wait for the final part to this trilogy.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Who's the God-Daddy?
By PeaceNick from Hampshire , 07 Oct 2004Godfather II is no longer the greatest gangster movie sequel of all time.
Who else but Takashi would think to juxtapose a Yakuza-Triad bloodbath with a pseudo-pornographic pantomime?
One up on 'The Godfather' already and still a final part to the trilogy that I'm actually looking forward to seeing. Coppola never managed that.- Was this review helpful to you?
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