We're not talking about the Hollywood movies based on the video games, but the Dead or Alive trilogy by Japanese madman director Takashi Miike. These are three must see movie downloads if you're in the mood for something strange.
The first film in the trilogy, Dead or Alive, was conceived simply to get two of Japan's biggest cult legends together, Sho Aikawa and Riki Takeuchi. These two are sort of the Japanese cult film answer to DeNiro and Pacino, so Dead or Alive is sort of the Japanese cult answer to Heat. It was also focused on solving one of the primary problems with that movie: The anti-climactic ending.
We won't spoil the ending of Dead or Alive, but let's just say that it's certainly not an anti-climax. The entire movie is a thrill ride, starting with a rock video style montage that gets you into the movie's world fast, and culminating in an ending that you will not believe.
Dead or Alive 2 is one of those rare sequels that blows the original away, even though the original was already pretty good. Aikawa and Takeuchi are recast as two entirely different characters, that parallel their original roles in some interesting ways. Where the first is about a cop and a gangster out to get each other, this one focuses on two childhood friends who have grown up to become hitmen who donate all of their earnings to buying medicine for children in third world countries. This movie is all heart.
This one is much more positive, much more life affirming, and surprisingly sweet and sentimental, whereas the first was relatively dark and negative in comparison. It's interesting having these two movies, that are so different from each other, and yet have so much in common.
The third film, Dead or Alive Final, goes in the science fiction direction, more specifically, cyberpunk, with replicants and evil dystopian governments. While it might not be the most exciting of the trilogy, it's worth seeing so you can check out how it ties the whole thing together in such a strange way.
Check out Deadly Outlaw Rekka if you want more Miike. It has the same sort of over the top, insane attitude towards the story, and recasts Riki Takeuchi in the title role, as he seeks to avenge the death of his surrogate father. What really makes that movie work is the style. The story is standard revenge stuff, but it's all set to an alternative rock album from the seventies by the Traveling Sunflower Band, and the action is all out stuff. Takeuchi also turns in an interesting performance as the unstable and unpredictable Rekka.
The trailer for the first movie in the trilogy proudly declares that Miike is the mad dog of Japanese film, and it's true, that's not just hyperbole. The guy makes something like four or five movies a year, and has created over one hundred total over the course of his career. Not all of them are of the same quality, but for just one in ten movies to be great, that's ten great films, which is more than most directors ever get a chance to put out.
The first film in the trilogy, Dead or Alive, was conceived simply to get two of Japan's biggest cult legends together, Sho Aikawa and Riki Takeuchi. These two are sort of the Japanese cult film answer to DeNiro and Pacino, so Dead or Alive is sort of the Japanese cult answer to Heat. It was also focused on solving one of the primary problems with that movie: The anti-climactic ending.
We won't spoil the ending of Dead or Alive, but let's just say that it's certainly not an anti-climax. The entire movie is a thrill ride, starting with a rock video style montage that gets you into the movie's world fast, and culminating in an ending that you will not believe.
Dead or Alive 2 is one of those rare sequels that blows the original away, even though the original was already pretty good. Aikawa and Takeuchi are recast as two entirely different characters, that parallel their original roles in some interesting ways. Where the first is about a cop and a gangster out to get each other, this one focuses on two childhood friends who have grown up to become hitmen who donate all of their earnings to buying medicine for children in third world countries. This movie is all heart.
This one is much more positive, much more life affirming, and surprisingly sweet and sentimental, whereas the first was relatively dark and negative in comparison. It's interesting having these two movies, that are so different from each other, and yet have so much in common.
The third film, Dead or Alive Final, goes in the science fiction direction, more specifically, cyberpunk, with replicants and evil dystopian governments. While it might not be the most exciting of the trilogy, it's worth seeing so you can check out how it ties the whole thing together in such a strange way.
Check out Deadly Outlaw Rekka if you want more Miike. It has the same sort of over the top, insane attitude towards the story, and recasts Riki Takeuchi in the title role, as he seeks to avenge the death of his surrogate father. What really makes that movie work is the style. The story is standard revenge stuff, but it's all set to an alternative rock album from the seventies by the Traveling Sunflower Band, and the action is all out stuff. Takeuchi also turns in an interesting performance as the unstable and unpredictable Rekka.
The trailer for the first movie in the trilogy proudly declares that Miike is the mad dog of Japanese film, and it's true, that's not just hyperbole. The guy makes something like four or five movies a year, and has created over one hundred total over the course of his career. Not all of them are of the same quality, but for just one in ten movies to be great, that's ten great films, which is more than most directors ever get a chance to put out.
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To do the you need to download a program called Deep Burner. On Line Movie Downloads Isn't that why we go to the movie theaters, as an escape from our everyday lives. Modern technology has given us more ways to get great music to listen to.
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