Dead or Alive 2: Birds (2000)
Directed by Takashi Miike
Starring: Sho Aikawa, Riki Takeuchi, Kenichi Endo
Genre: Yakuza/Drama/Action
Running Time: 97mins

Rating:

Sho Aikawa stars as Mizuki, a hitman with a penchant for loud shirts and bleached hair. Hired by a maniacal magician to assassinate a gang boss, with the view to creating all out war within the underworld, a second hitman beats him to the punch moments before pulling the trigger. With the job complete, minus the risk, Mizuki collects his pay regardless, only to learn that the second hitman is an old friend. Drawn by his desire for a re-union he returns to his childhood Island for not just refuge, but also to re-discover a past life of innocence and friendship.

"Oh my God".

This was my response after having seen Miike's original, first instalment of the Dead or Alive trilogy. It was a mind-blowing experience, the sheer intensity of the film, its outrageousness, bursting at the seams with vitality was overwhelming. Oh my God was all I could muster. And so it was with this precept that I began to watch Dead or Alive 2 with expectations running high; I'm glad to say that once the film was over, I couldn't even muster a word. Miike has once again created a film that continuously surprises its audience and force us to see both the beautiful and the horrific in the way only Miike can, is there no end to this mans imagination.

Where do I start?

Where could he have started? Considering the climax of its predecessor, it was inevitable that a sequel could never follow as a direct response. And so, Miike has opted for a story that could easily stand alone as a singular film, yet becomes essential to its source of origin through the use of parody and familiarity. This is largely due to the casting once more of the lead actors; Sho Aikawa and Riki Takeuchi; who don't reprise their roles (the personalities of the characters are nothing like Jojima and Ryuichi of the original) but play almost complete opposites as Mizuki and Shuichi respectively.

It has to be said that although their performances were electrifying in the original, it is here that they best display their acting abilities. In the original they were balls of rage waiting to explode, all their anger was kept inside until those final unforgettable moments. In this follow-up however, the characters are much more rounded, more accessible, and dare I say it - much more emotional paving the way for the talents of these actors to be discovered, and it is a joy to watch. Aikawa, bleached blonde and childlike throughout, reveals his playful side, forever relaxed he is a million miles away from the stressed out Jojima. Meanwhile, Takeuchi gets to do something in a film that you'd swear he was contractually obliged not to do.... he smiles! Sure, the grimaces and the scuffed frowns are there intact, but this time round Takeuchi smiles with the abandon of a man re-discovering his childhood. It is then that you realise that you are not watching Takeuchi look cool (as we've become accustomed to) but instead we are watching Shuichi - we are understanding his character, we are seeing Takeuchi perform. We even get to see him entertain children while dressed as a lion! The emphasis here is clearly at showing a different side to these wonderful character actors. It works wonderfully.

So by now, you must be wondering : Where the hell is the violence? What exactly is going on? Did Miike forget the paddling pool?

The fact of the matter is that DOA2 is simply much more light hearted in tone. Whilst in the original we were submerged within the filth of the underworld with no escape but death and destruction, here we are shown a side of Miike's optimism - a world of peace and happiness, somewhere to escape from the aggressive frailties of mankind. The place just so happens to be rooted in their childhood, and the metaphor of childhood innocence resonates throughout each scene.

Whether it is while re-discovering old games, or places, or even in the interchanging of their age mid-way through scenes, there is a clear message of beauty and optimism infused within the bloodshed. And so, while there are some brutally strong scenes of violence (plenty for all you gorehounds out there) they are often cascaded against moments of lyrical beauty. Miike shows us a side not seen before, for while we come to expect such bizarrely original moments such as the dwarf assassination (which had me in dumbfound hilarity), he slips in a moment such as the view of the comet and the single tear of overwhelming beauty.

It is this element of profundity that, in my opinion, lifts DOA2 way above its predecessor. The tension has disappeared from the original, but for pure entertainment and emotional value it has no equal. There is so much more to say in favour of DOA2, while the pace of the opening is (understandably) slower than the sheer frenzy of the original, we are still treated to a magical beginning; and I mean this literally. Shinya Tsukamoto features as just one of the wonderfully entertaining minor characters that serve to make Miike's films so unique. Playing a magician who organises the hit of a gangland boss in order to create a gang war, his maniacal performance is surrealistic to say the least - but he commands the screen throughout, his cameo proving to be a fine example of comic timing and delirious energy.

It's very difficult for reviewers (fans) to pinpoint just what it is about Miike's films that make them such essential entertainment. It's too easy to just use the words "bizarre" and "surreal" or even "extreme", and I know for a fact that I have definitely used them if not here, then in any other review of his filmography. But the only way I can put it, is that it is down to the intense level of detail that he invests into all his characters, and into all his worlds. Other filmmakers would not think to invest the time into the somewhat minor characters, but Miike does, and that's what sets him apart. Each character has his/her own nuance, their own caricature to perform - whether it be the SMS Assassins (minor genius) or the Host (with literally the most!) there's no escaping that Miike commands our attention to every possible facet of information available. Never has a film been as re-watchable.

Once more the cinematography is exceptional, mixing moments of surrealism with tranquillity and then chaotic brutality. At times they all feature within the same scene. Of particular note is the sequence featuring a children's education play mixed with a particularly harsh gangland warfare. Miike has composed an emotional whirlpool in which humour, violence, happiness, pain, love and the pre-requisite of degenerative behaviour co-exist leaving the viewer dizzy at the excesses but also profoundly moved at the same time. It's no small feat, but Miike's handling makes for electrifying cinema.

Exciting, funny, emotional, and disturbing - DOA2 would appear to be a contradiction within itself. However, all these factors live side by side within the film, as they do in our real lives. Much more enjoyable than the original, this is quite possibly Miike's most rounded film to date. As each film represents a different side of Miike, the classy, artistic nature of Audition, the extremes of Ichi The Killer, the intensity of Dead or Alive and the anarchic comedy of Happiness of the Katakuris, it is an arduous task indeed for a fan to select just one of his eclectic mix as a firm favourite. But with Dead or Alive 2, he has produced a film that is - if not the one - then a definite contender.

A must see film.