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.

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Plot Keywords:

forest | portal | resurrection | zombie | sword | 

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Taglines:

Witness a battle no one has ever seen

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Genres:

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

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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.

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Goofs

The first time the main character encounters zombies in hand to hand combat, a rope harness can be seen pulling the zombie back towards the tree.

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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...

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Alternate Versions

German rental version is cut for violence/gore to secure a "Not under 18" rating. The Retail Special Edition DVD will be uncut.

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Connections

References Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

User Reviews

Blood, Guts, Zombie, LETDOWN

My pals and I love these kind of movies but really - it's all style, it's all camera moves, it's all film school hard-on CRAP and there really is nothing there. The main idea - that these woods where these gangsters are - are full of portals to the other side and the dead can immediately re-animate, etc. that's all fine, but aside from that - it is just endless fights, endless bad Tarantino/John Woo with dozens of scenes with guns pointed at people's faces, this one actor playing a gangster does some of the worst overacting I've ever seen; mugging, grimacing, flapping his hands about, oh man, I kept waiting for him to die - it's as if he watched Benicio Del Toro and Marlon Brando on a loop and just started impersonating them. But look, you can splatter all the blood you want, show holes going clean through torsos and heads, martial arts til the cows come home, but there is NONE and I mean NONE character development at all - not a shred. And the female lead is one of the wost actresses with a puffy face that would stop a clock. We hung in there til the end but I was glad to read that others had a hard time making it through. There are just so many better movies like this - Evil Dead, Dead Alive, Night of The Living Dead, Riki o, etc.