Dead or Alive is a Japanese direct-to-video Yakuza flick with a lot of violence, a bit of sex, and a sprinkling of perversion. It begins with a kinetic montage of Yakuza violence, which sets the stage for a somewhat convoluted story about a policeman and a young group of hoodlums that are trying to cut into the Yakuza's action. The story progresses normally, and then ends, as the Director says, like a head-on collision with a 18 wheeler.
That ending though, is bad. The characters are flat--even more so than is usual in a Miike film--and largely bland, nothing like the amazing people that populate the cinematic worlds of Ichi the Killer or Audition. All that saves this film from being a consummate bore are Miike's trademarked scenes of surreal violence and perversion--and these are certainly here in full force.
This is an entertaining film for the genre and budget, but it's likely to disappoint those expecting another small Miike masterpiece.
That ending though, is bad. The characters are flat--even more so than is usual in a Miike film--and largely bland, nothing like the amazing people that populate the cinematic worlds of Ichi the Killer or Audition. All that saves this film from being a consummate bore are Miike's trademarked scenes of surreal violence and perversion--and these are certainly here in full force.
This is an entertaining film for the genre and budget, but it's likely to disappoint those expecting another small Miike masterpiece.