I got something on my mind that I don't want to think about, so I'm gonna talk about movies! Hopefully that will at least change my point of distraction.
Dead Or Alive 2 is not a normal sequel. It doesn't continue the plot, the characters, or even especially the themes of the first Dead Or Alive. In fact it's a very different sort of movie, much gentler and more character-oriented. Both movies are about yakuza and are basically action/thrillers, but DOA2 adds strong elements of nostalgia, male bonding, and magic realism to the mix.
And yet in a weird sort of way, it is very much a follow-up to DOA. Stars Riki Takeuchi and Sho Aikawa both return, though they are playing very different roles. Aikawa, who played the melancholy cop in DOA, this time stars as a flamboyant blonde hitman; Takeuchi, who was previously staunch beyond belief, this time plays the more sensitive and introspective of the two. The pair of them meet when they are both sent to hit the same target, and realise that they were childhood friends.
There are oblique references to the first movie, and I got the feeling that this is kind of the first movie turned upside down and inside out: the two deadly rivals are now best friends since childhood; instead of individuals playing gangs against one another, there are gangs hunting down the individuals; the roles of the two stars are very consciously flipped; the constant death and corruption of the first is replaced throughout by symbols of new life and childhood innocence.
The movie deftly combines surrealism, humour, emotion, outbreaks of brutal violence, and the odd glimpse of Miike's trademark perversity. It is a true virtuoso performance from the director, who is able to flip between moods and styles without breaking his stride. One scene (contrasting an hilariously stupid and inappropriately sexual play for children with brutal gangland hits) stands out in particular, and the typically ambiguous ending is a beauty.
Shinya Tsukamoto (probably best known as the director of the Tetsuo movies) has an hilarious role as a magician who hires Aikawa at the start, and there is a good role for Miike regular Kenichi Endo as the third member of the group of childhood friends.
Some will probably be infuriated by the slow pace, the lack of a traditional three-act structure, and the refusal of the movie to make coherent sense. Others will love it dearly as yet another example of Miike's unique take on cinema.
Next up: Full Metal Yakuza
Posted by pearce at October 17, 2005 10:43 AM