Dead or Alive (1999)
Directed by Takashi Miike
Starring: Sho Aikawa, Riki Takeuchi
Genre: Yakuza/Action
Running Time: 100mins

Rating:

Following a string of executions on key members of the Shinjuku underworld, Ryuichi (Rik Takeuchi) and his motley crew of social misfits, outcasts of Japanese society due to their Manchurian / Japanese mixed descent, seize control over the organised crime syndicate with a view of making it big. Meanwhile, Jojima (Sho Aikawa) a burnt out cop struggles to gather together the necessary funds for his daughters life saving operation while his relationship with his family comes under severe strain from both the difficulties of his private life, and of his working life which now involves putting a stop to Ryuichi's total domination of the Shinjuku crime syndicate.

Containing one of the most explosive, rule breaking openings ever committed to film, Dead or Alive is a visceral ride through the Shinjuku underworld. Violent, sleazy and packed to the brim with surrealist swipes at the conventional nature of detective / gangster films, Miike shows a finely tuned understanding of genre and expectation with another incredible outing for his garish, wildly imaginative world.

Dead or Alive has been compared by some to John Woo's The Killer and Michael Mann's Heat in terms of it's cat and mouse structure and complex background relationships, but Miike's film is certainly its own beast entirely. Not a remake, not even a re-working of either, Dead or Alive packs a punch that is unique to Miike's brand of filmmaking. The most impressive factor for me is that it was intended as a TV movie, a straight to video release, a film generally that was not expected to contain the substance and style it so clearly displays with ease.

The vibrancy of Shinjuku is expertly captured in the opening, the bright neon lights, the violence and corruption on the streets. The world we are presented with in this opening is one of total chaos. This sequence has easily been dismissed by some as nothing more than a rock video serving no purpose than as entertainment for action-crazed post-mtv hounds. However, this could not be further from the truth - Miike throws in so many original concepts and ideas (the noodle gunshot is nothing short of genius) but all the while he never loses sight of it's main intention. Yes it is there for entertainment, and yes it is there to get the audience's adrenaline rushing, but it is also there to paint a picture of the people who we will meet and the world that we are about to taken into.

You learn about the organisation of the attacks - which at first seem random and independent but later come together as a carefully staged bout of gangland warfare. You come to learn (admittedly cliched) that Jojima is a burnt out cop with no time for himself or his family. You learn all this in what seems to be a blink of an eye. Miike shows a perfect understanding of audience logic, we have been reading films for a long time now and Miike understands the sophistication of this with a wonderfully choreographed piece of montage editing. There is so much mention about this opening sequence alone, and that - unfortunately seems to be the complaint from many about Dead or Alive. For once the initial storm of its opening is over, we are then left with the remnants of its carnage as Miike shifts both pace and tone for a very different film from initial expectations.

The slow-burn approach is a dramatic change in pace, but an effective one in my opinion. There is no way that the histrionics of the opening could continue for the rest of the film, it would eventually begin to drag and frustrate. Dead or Alive is a film that continuously re-invents itself, and has no shortage of supply in original ideas and concepts - the majority of which are horrific in content. Suffice to say, this film comes with a distinct word of warning to those not yet accustomed to Miike's style. Though I wouldn't necessarily consider it a particularly violent film, it is certainly nasty. The paddling pool sequence is a definate stand out - sadistic and realistically harsh, Renji Ishibashi's speech is an eerily tense sequence of pure sadism.

As I said - a word of warning.

Aside from the sheer surrealist imagery on display, another note of mention has to go to Hideo Yamamoto's impressive cinematography who never let's you realise the budgetary limitations that the production was faced with. Filling the opening sequence with bright, vibrant imagery, and contrasting it with the more sombre, ominous lighting - Yamamoto's work perfectly shifts complementing Miike's change in pace and tone. The acting is universally impressive with Sho Aikawa and Rik Takeuchi perfectly playing against each other as adversaries with common interests as both cling to the remainder of their gradually crumbling families

Exploring the dark depths of the underworld in unflinching detail, Miike has created a film of indelible worth. Casting aside the high concept art that Japanese cinema is so commonly associated with by critics, Dead or Alive is a kick in the teeth - exploding in its outrageousness only to reign you in with the precise craftsmanship of its overall content. Miike is in complete control aware of each and every turning well in advance of the audience, supplying us with a consistent arsenal of surprises and plot twists - all you can do is sit back and enjoy.

Oh yeah - I almost forgot the ending......