Dead or Alive (1999)

A yakuza of Chinese descent and a Japanese cop each wage their own war against the Japanese mafia. But they are destined to meet. Their encounter will change the world.

Director:

Takashi Miike

Writer:

Ichiro Ryu

Stars:

Shô Aikawa, Riki Takeuchi, Renji Ishibashi

2 wins.

Cast

Credited cast:
Riki Takeuchi	...	Ryuuichi
Shô Aikawa	...	Det. Jojima
Renji Ishibashi	...	Aoki
Hitoshi Ozawa	...	Satake
Shingo Tsurumi	...	Chen
Kaoru Sugita	...	Mrs. Jojima
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Duncan	...	Tanaka (as Dankan)
Shû Ehara	...	Rapist in restroom
Sei Hiraizumi	...	Police Chief
Hirotarô Honda
Michisuke Kashiwaya	...	Toji
Kazuki Kitamura
Mizuho Koga
Ryûshi Mizukami
Ren Osugi	...	Yan (as Ren Ôsugi)

Storyline

Without a home and feeling no obligation to Japanese society or Yakuza, Ryuichi (Takeuchi Riki) and his small group decide to make their own place by trying to take over the Shinjuku underworld and the drug trade from Taiwan. As they plan an all-out-assault on the remaining Chinese and Japanese mafia kings, only Detective Jojima (Aikawa Sho) stands between them and complete domination.

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Plot Keywords:

sexual perversion | mafia | detective | yakuza | taiwan | 

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Taglines:

WARNING: This motion picture contains explicit portrayals of violence; sex; violent sex; sexual violence; clowns and violent scenes of violent excess, which are definitely not suitable for all audiences.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence, sexuality, language and drug use

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Mandarin Japanese

Release Date:

27 November 1999 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Dead or Alive

Box Office

Budget:

JPY 500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,783, 10 June 2001, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,841, 1 December 2002

Company Credits

Production Co:

Daiei Motion Picture Company, Toei Video Company, Excellent Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Detective Jojima: My father was a small-village cop in a town where nothing ever happened. He just hung around like a scarecrow, until he died. But like they say - even a scarecrow keeps away the sparrows.

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Alternate Versions

R-rated version is edited. The unrated version is uncut.

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Connections

Edited into Dead or Alive: Final (2002)

User Reviews

Classic Miike, but not his best.

I'm a big Takashi Miike fan, and this movie definitely belongs in my collection. However, I could see why most people would look past it. The opening scene is fantastic, with fast action and motion between situations. After that the movie slows down significantly, and I believe too much so.

The story is very well written and filled with tension, but the acting is sub-par. One of the main characters, Ryu, shows barely any emotion throughout, even at points where he clearly should. An event that directly precedes the ending is in my book one of the most unexpected twists in Miike history. The ending itself is just ridiculous.

Unless you're a college student like me, or a fan of the absurd, this ending will validate throwing the movie away. While it may seem like I'm a little harsh, its only because I've set my standards for Miike so high. Overall, a good movie to watch if you like Japanese exploitation films.