You might not have heard of these movies. If you're thinking about the ones based on the Xbox and Playstation games, we're not talking about those, but rather the trilogy of bizarre action flicks by Japanese crazy-man director Takashi Miike. This trilogy of movie downloads offers just what you're looking for if you've gotten tired of the same old same old from American action flicks and you're ready for something a little different, and a little strange.
The first film in the trilogy, Dead or Alive, was conceived simply to get two of Japan's biggest cult legends together, Sho Aikawa and Riki Takeuchi. These two are sort of the Japanese cult film answer to DeNiro and Pacino, so Dead or Alive is sort of the Japanese cult answer to Heat. It was also focused on solving one of the primary problems with that movie: The anti-climactic ending.
We won't spoil that ending for you, but save to say that it certainly solves the whole anti-climax problem. From beginning to end, the whole movie is like one big super climactic showdown. Every minute you're going to be seeing something you've never seen before, something you can't believe you just saw, and something you wish you hadn't seen.
The second in the trilogy offers a different sort of approach with the same crazy style. This one recasts the two leads as two new characters. Where the first had the two as rival cop and gangster, this one has them as a pair of hitmen who grew up together and who donate all of their money to fighting diseases in developing countries.
This one is much more positive, much more life affirming, and surprisingly sweet and sentimental, whereas the first was relatively dark and negative in comparison. It's interesting having these two movies, that are so different from each other, and yet have so much in common.
The third takes the whole series in an all new direction, going into science fiction akin to Blade Runner or Robocop, that sort of cyberpunk, androids and megacorporations sort of theme. It's probably the least interesting of the trilogy, but it's really interesting for how it ties the whole thing together.
Check out Deadly Outlaw Rekka if you want more Miike. It has the same sort of over the top, insane attitude towards the story, and recasts Riki Takeuchi in the title role, as he seeks to avenge the death of his surrogate father. What really makes that movie work is the style. The story is standard revenge stuff, but it's all set to an alternative rock album from the seventies by the Traveling Sunflower Band, and the action is all out stuff. Takeuchi also turns in an interesting performance as the unstable and unpredictable Rekka.
As the trailer for the first film declares: Takashi Miike is the rabid dog of Japanese cinema. You never know what he's going to do in his movies. Interestingly, he's said in interviews that he tends to look for boring scripts. When the script is dull, that gives him a lot of opportunity to spice it up. And spice it up he does. Miike has always managed to take these director for hire movies and make something new out of them. He makes an average of four movies a year, and has made around a hundred feature films total. The quality of each of these movies... It goes up and down, but if only one in ten is worth watching, ten great movies is more than most directors ever get around to creating. - 40724
The first film in the trilogy, Dead or Alive, was conceived simply to get two of Japan's biggest cult legends together, Sho Aikawa and Riki Takeuchi. These two are sort of the Japanese cult film answer to DeNiro and Pacino, so Dead or Alive is sort of the Japanese cult answer to Heat. It was also focused on solving one of the primary problems with that movie: The anti-climactic ending.
We won't spoil that ending for you, but save to say that it certainly solves the whole anti-climax problem. From beginning to end, the whole movie is like one big super climactic showdown. Every minute you're going to be seeing something you've never seen before, something you can't believe you just saw, and something you wish you hadn't seen.
The second in the trilogy offers a different sort of approach with the same crazy style. This one recasts the two leads as two new characters. Where the first had the two as rival cop and gangster, this one has them as a pair of hitmen who grew up together and who donate all of their money to fighting diseases in developing countries.
This one is much more positive, much more life affirming, and surprisingly sweet and sentimental, whereas the first was relatively dark and negative in comparison. It's interesting having these two movies, that are so different from each other, and yet have so much in common.
The third takes the whole series in an all new direction, going into science fiction akin to Blade Runner or Robocop, that sort of cyberpunk, androids and megacorporations sort of theme. It's probably the least interesting of the trilogy, but it's really interesting for how it ties the whole thing together.
Check out Deadly Outlaw Rekka if you want more Miike. It has the same sort of over the top, insane attitude towards the story, and recasts Riki Takeuchi in the title role, as he seeks to avenge the death of his surrogate father. What really makes that movie work is the style. The story is standard revenge stuff, but it's all set to an alternative rock album from the seventies by the Traveling Sunflower Band, and the action is all out stuff. Takeuchi also turns in an interesting performance as the unstable and unpredictable Rekka.
As the trailer for the first film declares: Takashi Miike is the rabid dog of Japanese cinema. You never know what he's going to do in his movies. Interestingly, he's said in interviews that he tends to look for boring scripts. When the script is dull, that gives him a lot of opportunity to spice it up. And spice it up he does. Miike has always managed to take these director for hire movies and make something new out of them. He makes an average of four movies a year, and has made around a hundred feature films total. The quality of each of these movies... It goes up and down, but if only one in ten is worth watching, ten great movies is more than most directors ever get around to creating. - 40724
About the Author:
Songs we have learnt in childhood can be recalled far later in life than mere words. New Movie Rental And to read his word and teach it I know that my Master is alive and kicking. When you call to rent your dolly package, plan to shave 20% or so off rate card.
No comments:
Post a Comment