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.