In what has already become his trademark, Takashi Miike disregards all cinematic laws, censorship, tight budgets as he turns what should have been a straightforward yakuza movie into a mind-blowing experience. From the opening scene Miike's "Dead Or Alive: Hanzaisha" grabs the attention of the audience. Synchronized to the beat of instrumental rock music Miike floods our senses with images of sex, violence and drugs. Moving at such high speed that overwhelm our ability to comprehend just what the hell is going on. The highly kinetic pace soon let's go and leaves for a more standardized narrative to take it's place. And as the story progresses everything starts making perfect sense.
"Dead Or Alive: Hanzaisha" is about the conflict between two men. A vengeful yakuza named Ryuuichi played by Riki and a determined cop Jojima played by Sho Aikawa.
Ryuuichi along with his small gang start a brutal war against the local crime syndicates leaving countless dead behind. Jojima is the men in charge of the investigation against Ryuuichi and his cohorts. While at the same time he too fights his own war against the same yakuza. Two men on different side of the laws, polar opposites. At least that's the way it looks from early on. But as the story develops and more facts about them are revealed we find that this is not quite true. Both Jojima and Ryuuichi care for their families and their well being. Both lose friends and loved ones either in their wars against the yakuza or during their own conflict. The final confrontation between the two who are the different sides of the same coin, breaks all cinematic conventions. What should have been a rather standard shootout Miike turns into an absurdish battle with devastating consequences. You cannot get both heads and tails when throwing a coin. That defies basic logic. When logic breaks, chaos emerges, destroying all. In this context such an ending is to be expected, but not by cinematic law. That is what makes the final scene so unbelievable, that's what makes Miike one of the few who think outside the box.
Visually "Dead or Alive" retains the characteristics of a yakuza movie. The cinematography keeps to the established look and feel of the genre. While Miike as usual throws in his usual amounts of bizarre humor along with some stomach churring violence with the touch of perversion. It becomes immensely entertaining to watch because you never know what to expect next. Testing the limits of censorship with it's content.
At first "Dead Or Alive" might seem like an ordinary movie. It is everything but never ordinary. Whether he did just to anger the production company or censors, Takashi Miike forged a cult classic movie that stands as an example of daring, creative and original film-making.
"Dead Or Alive: Hanzaisha" is about the conflict between two men. A vengeful yakuza named Ryuuichi played by Riki and a determined cop Jojima played by Sho Aikawa.
Ryuuichi along with his small gang start a brutal war against the local crime syndicates leaving countless dead behind. Jojima is the men in charge of the investigation against Ryuuichi and his cohorts. While at the same time he too fights his own war against the same yakuza. Two men on different side of the laws, polar opposites. At least that's the way it looks from early on. But as the story develops and more facts about them are revealed we find that this is not quite true. Both Jojima and Ryuuichi care for their families and their well being. Both lose friends and loved ones either in their wars against the yakuza or during their own conflict. The final confrontation between the two who are the different sides of the same coin, breaks all cinematic conventions. What should have been a rather standard shootout Miike turns into an absurdish battle with devastating consequences. You cannot get both heads and tails when throwing a coin. That defies basic logic. When logic breaks, chaos emerges, destroying all. In this context such an ending is to be expected, but not by cinematic law. That is what makes the final scene so unbelievable, that's what makes Miike one of the few who think outside the box.
Visually "Dead or Alive" retains the characteristics of a yakuza movie. The cinematography keeps to the established look and feel of the genre. While Miike as usual throws in his usual amounts of bizarre humor along with some stomach churring violence with the touch of perversion. It becomes immensely entertaining to watch because you never know what to expect next. Testing the limits of censorship with it's content.
At first "Dead Or Alive" might seem like an ordinary movie. It is everything but never ordinary. Whether he did just to anger the production company or censors, Takashi Miike forged a cult classic movie that stands as an example of daring, creative and original film-making.