Slowly but surely, the works of Japanese Director Takashi Miike are making their way to our western shores. With the cult like success of movies Ichi the Killer and Audition, American audiences are getting more and more titles from Takashi Miike. As our children feast on Anime by Miyazaki and Oshowa, adult have moved from classic films like Kurosawa to contemporary adult directors like Takashi Miike. Moreover, as most of US cinema offers us much of the same old thing in the form of remakes of old TV shows and endless sequels, Americans look to foreign films for fresh original ideas. Even the recent slate of successful US Horror films, The Ring, Grudge, and Dark Water all have their origins in Japanese Horror films.

Brief Background on Takashi Miike

You can go to the Internet Movie DataBase to discover that Miike (pronounced Mee Kay) was born in August 24, 1960 on the outskirts of Osaka. He went to film school because he didn't have to do anything to get in, and when he went, he often skipped classes. He worked in television for about 10 years and finally got a break working in the Direct To Video industry that sprung up in Japan in the 90s. His first big hit was Audition in 1999. That and Ichi the Killer garnered him recognition in the United States, and now, more and more of his films are released in the United States. He is a very prolific director and has directed over 60 films in his 13 years as a director. Miike is known for pushing the envelope with graphic violence and sexual taboos. (information here learned from the Internet Movie Data Base). My first Miike film was Ichi the Killer, and I was in shock for days after seeing it. Yet, soon there I was on Netflix, ordering other Miike films.


The Dead or Alive Trilogy

I picked this trilogy up as a boxed set at Newbury Comics for 49.99. I was quite surprised that my local WalMart didn't carry ANY of Miike's popular films. Well, if Miike inspires any killing sprees like rap music and video games, at least we can all get our shotguns and shells at Wal Mart.
The box set is contained in one cardboard box with cover art of an explosion and Takashi Miike's DEAD OR ALIVE Trilogy printed on the front. On the side are pictures of the three films contained within. Inside are the three Dead or Alive films, each in its own full size case. All three films are in color 16:9 aspect ratio (although the final is letterboxed), and are in Japanese with English subtitles. The box set is distributed by Kino Video out of New York. I will include a brief description of each film, together with a link to the full review of the film, which I have contemporaneously posted with this review of the box set.

Dead or Alive (1999)

In this movie Ryuichi is trying to invade the Shinjuku district of Tokyo for control of the drug trade. He is setting up a large deal with the Chinese Triads, and the Japanese Yakuza wants to stop Ryuichi's gang. The bloodbath that ensues is investigated by Detective Jojima (Sho Aikawa) who has problems of his own at home. I have the full review here: Dead or Alive.

Dead or Alive 2 (2000)

The second film is about two hitmen Mizuki and Shuichi, played by Sho Aikawa and Riki Takeuchi (who both appeared in the first movie in different roles). The underworld setting of Tokyo's crime district forms the backdrop of the story. Mizuki and Shuichi meet up when both try to carry out the same hit. It turns out that they are childhood friends, and after they reflect on simpler times, they join forces and try to steer clear of the Yakuza. I have a full review here:Dead or Alive 2

Dead or Alive Final (2002)

This is the most bizarre film of the trilogy, and it is supposedly set in the future year 2, 435. This time the plot sort of follows a Blade Runner theme, with Riki Takeuchi playing a Police Officer, Honda tracking down a replicant (yes thats the English translated term that appeared), Ryo played by Sho Aikawa. Apparently, in the future, an evil leader Woo (Richard Cheung) has some strange ideas of society and family, and makes everyone take drugs to accept his way of life. Ryo leads the rebellion, and Honda is the government enforcer. I have a full review here: Dead or Alive Final

Summary

Overall, I thought this trilogy was well done. Like the "Black Society" Trilogy, it wasn't a trilogy in the traditional sense of the word where we see either a continuing story, or at least separate stories with the same characters. It is a trilogy in the sense that they are all directed by Miike in the same style and with the same actors. For those of you who watched the film noir like "Black Society Trilogy", the style of this is much gritter. I also felt the transfer was much better. All three DVDs are in widescreen format. The first two are in 16:9 aspect ratio and have been enhanced for widescreen televisions. The last one is in 16:9 format, but it is letterboxed for 4:3 Televisions. I use a setting on my projector to fill the screen with the image, but some resolution is lost. Subtitles on the third film appear in Japanese because those were the only masters that could be found for the DVD transfer. The films all looked good, but not of the quality of today's usual DVD releases.

Get this trilogy if: you have become a fan of Miike, and like his over the top style of violence, the DEAD or ALIVE trilogy is a good one to pick up. If you enjoy action films, Quentin Tarentino films, or Robert Rodriguez films and you want to expand your movie watching to foreign shores, give Miike a try!

If you are unfamiliar with Miike's film making style, I would suggest you rent a film like Ichi the Killer first to make sure that he isn't too extreme for you.

Do Not get this trilogy if: you do not want to read subtitles. These films are all in JAPANESE. There is no English language track, you will have to read subtitles. If you plan to get these films for your anime and Japanese culture loving child I would remind you that these movies are all rated R or Unrated. I would not allow children under 17 to watch them at all. The films have very graphic scenes of violence, adult situations, nudity, sexual situations, drug and alcohol use.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age