Versus (2000)

There are 666 portals that connect this world to the other side. These are concealed from all human beings. Somewhere in Japan exists the 444th portal.... The forest of resurrection.

Director:

Ryûhei Kitamura

Writers:

Ryûhei Kitamura (screenplay), Yudai Yamaguchi (screenplay)

Stars:

Tak Sakaguchi, Hideo Sakaki, Chieko Misaka

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview:
Tak Sakaguchi	...	Prisoner KSC2-303
Hideo Sakaki	...	The Man
Chieko Misaka	...	The Girl
Kenji Matsuda	...	Yakuza Leader with butterfly knife
Yuichiro Arai	...	Motorcycle-riding yakuza with revolver
Minoru Matsumoto	...	Crazy yakuza with amulet
Kazuhito Ohba	...	Yakuza with glasses
Takehiro Katayama	...	Red-haired assassin
Ayumi Yoshihara	...	Long-haired female assassin
Shôichirô Masumoto	...	One-handed cop
Toshiro Kamiaka	...	Samurai warrior
Yukihito Tanikado	...	Cop with Barrett
Hoshimi Asai	...	Short-haired female assassin
Ryosuke Watabe	...	Yakuza zombie in alligator-skin coat
Motonari Komiya	...	Other prisoner

Storyline

Set in the present where a group of ruthless gangsters, an unknown woman and an escaped convict have met, unwittingly, in The Forest of Resurrection, the 444th portal to the other side. Their troubles start when those once killed and buried in the forest come back from the dead, with the assistance of the evil Sprit that has also come back, come back from ages past, to claim his prize. The final standoff between Light and Dark has never been so cunning, so brutal and so deadly. This is where old Japanese Samurai mysticism meets the new world of the gangster and the gun. Gruesome, bloody and positively bold.

---

Plot Keywords:

forest | portal | resurrection | zombie | sword | 

---

Taglines:

A Forest to Hell comes Alive with Death.

---

Genres:

Action | Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Romance | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong pervasive violence and gore, and language

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

English Japanese

Release Date:

20 February 2002 (France)

Also Known As:

Down to Hell 2

Box Office

Budget:

$400,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

WEVCO Produce Company,napalm FiLMS,KSS

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min 130 min (Ultimate Cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Talk of an American remake and sequel began to circulate in 2008 following the release of Ryûhei Kitamura's Hollywood directing debut, The Midnight Meat Train (2008). However, no news of the remake or sequel has emerged since 2008.

---

Goofs

In many of the fight sequences, wires are visible on the actors when performing high jump kicks and/or acrobatics

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Title Card: There are 666 portals that connect this world to the other side. These are concealed from all human beings... But there are some who notice their existence. And some are willing to open the door and try to gain the power of darkness... Somewhere in Japan exists the 444th portal, known as The Forest of Resurrection. It was a long time ago when the evil soul uncovered its existence...

---

Connections

Featured in Hagan Reviews: Versus (2014)

User Reviews

An entertaining little flick

To begin with please don't take this film as serious, as you will be let down. It is in fact a very fun film, which you should really just hop on for the ride as it has some great moments that made me laugh out loud. I'm a big fan of eastern movies, and feel that it stands out on its own due to the combination of styles going on, from the zombie attacks to the samuri / yazuka influence. It travels along at a great pace, the only bad thing about this is the sour taste left in the poor ending, but take that away and its great, and i would say to anyone that they should give it a go, but please watch it with a smile on your face. The sound track is also very good and if anyone knows if it has been released i would love to find out.