Versus

DO NOT BOTHER!!!!DO NOT BOTHER!!!!DO NOT BOTHER!!!!DO NOT BOTHER!!!!DO NOT BOTHER!!!!DO NOT BOTHER!!!!DO NOT BOTHER!!!!DO NOT BOTHER!!!!DO NOT BOTHER!!!!DO NOT BOTHER!!!!DO NOT BOTHER!!!!DO NOT BOTHER!!!!DO NOT BOTHER!!!!DO NOT BOTHER!!!!DO NOT BOTHER!!!!DO NOT BOTHER!!!!DO NOT BOTHER!!!!

Zombies! Samurai! Yakuza! What's not to like! Starts out at bonkers and heads off to kickass weird, barely pausing for breath. Was there a plot in there somewhere - who cares, Two beers and a pizza. Enjoy!

A rather silly mash up of genres that weaves gangsters,zombies and comedy to great effect...mostly

Now genre mash ups are common place but when this film first came out it was a revelation with such things only found on youtube.

Back in 2000 I was going through an Asian cinema phase and devoured every new DVD release i could get my hands on. Versus stood out being unique not only to western audiences but in the east as well.

If unprepared as I was the quick shift in genre can be quite jarring but you quickly adjust and get caught up in the mayhem.

Unfortunately the joke on display is stretched rather thin. For the multiple genres Verses tramples across it struggles to weave much of a plot and meanders about in places making the film far longer than it needed to be.

That said it's still a fun little flick that I occasionally pop in the player unlike a lot of other Asian movies I used to watch

My sweet god this film was beyond bad, their are thousands of films that you can see before this utter heap of pap, please for your own sanity DO NOT WATCH THIS.

All-out anarchy, in Ryuhei Kitamura's loving homage/update/nudge of and at Samurai cinema and western Horror. A pair of prison escapees end up in a forest, wedged between it and some yakuza, promptly finding the forest has a unique quirk; anything being dead within its perimeter doesn't stay that way for long. Cue one of the prisoners uncovering a hidden destiny (and awesome skills), kicking yakuza/zombie a** and not bothering to take names--and saving a damsel in distress while he's about it.

Make no mistake; this isn't straight drama; its crazy-gory horror/action/fantasy/comedy most of the way, usually treading all those paths at once. But I say 'most.' Beneath the copious madness, there's a classical tale of honour and the pursuit of power--from which it derives its name. But that's really just there to set up the action, and at least give some sort of context to the outcome. It shouldn't work, but Kitamura's an outstanding stylistic director, as anyone who's already played Devil May Cry 3 or seen Azumi can attest. He effortlessly creates the sort of scenes for poses and battles that MAKE posters--especially towards the end--and just sweeps you along on the adrenaline.

Cool runs through this film's veins like blood--of which there's a lot. It's not realistic, but it's copious, and just as outlandish as the rest of the film. People have holes put through them, hearts and eyes ripped out, are sliced into various pieces and are even completely blown up. If you're squeamish, this is a tough sell, but it's not going to traumatise you.

It's just an unapologetic slice of Asian action cinema, played with tongue in cheek and explosive enthusiasm. If you want something deep and profound, look elsewhere, but if you're a connoisseur of pulp film, and can appreciate Versus' personality, this is unmissable. I could list negatives, but they would be cosmetic at best, just cynical grumbling at worst. Take it with a pinch of salt, and you'll have some fun.