DEAD OR ALIVE 2 (DVD/1.85/ENG-SUB) DVD

Dead or Alive 2: The Birds
In spite of its title, this film bares no direct relation to Takashi Miike's rip-roarin' Dead or Alive, which is not surprising since ended with world going up in flames in the last installment. This film opens with Mizuki (Sho Aikawa), who is hired by an eccentric magic enthusiast (Tsukamoto Shinya) to off a yakuza crime lord, only to have his target wasted by a rival mobster Shuichi (Riki Takeuchi). It turns out that the two are long-lost childhood friends who grew up in an orphanage in a remote island in the Inland sea. After the crime, they find themselves drawn back to their childhood haunt. There they reconnect with another friend, Kohei (Kenichi Endo), who ended up not a hired gun, but a modest fisherman who also runs the orphanage. After giving a hilarious performance for a room full of kids, Mizuki and Shuichi decide to leave the island and to work together as hitmen. This time, however, they're killing to make a difference -- figuring that with each scumbag they ice they can save ten children when they donate their proceeds to charity. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

Cast Sho Aikawa as Mizuki Riki Takeuchi as Shuichi

Crew Takashi Miike - Director Chu Ishikawa - Composer (Music Score) Kazunari Tanaka - Cinematographer Masa Nakamura - Screenwriter

Dead or Alive 2: The Birds
Takashi Miike's films always seem to ride the extreme ends of the sweet/sick continuum, often serving up healthy doses of both within the same flick -- Visitor Q is one example, this film is another. Unlike Dead or Alive, this film is more contemplative, more good-natured, and more nostalgic, which might disappoint viewers looking for the gonzo adrenaline rush of its predecessor. In fact by the middle portion of the film, one might wonder if the story line has completely abandoned the film's and the series' crime story basis in favor of a bittersweet melodrama more akin to Shinji Somai. Fear not. The movie's last portion, featuring a montage of cheering African children alongside Mizuki and Shuichi wasting their marks firmly realigns Dead or Alive 2 into the bizarro world of the first film. Dead or Alive 2 is a small gem by a director who never delivers the expected. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
 

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General Specifications: Language Options: Subtitle Options: English Sound Processing: Additional Features: Original trailer Trailer gallery DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1: Theatre Wide-Screen MPAA Rating: DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 97 min   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- 1. A Lesson in Politics [8:01] 2. Fallout [6:34] 3. Birds of a Feather [6:46] 4. Another Life [5:20] 5. Painted Red [7:30] 6. Memory Lane [6:16] 7. The Burned Man [4:03] 8. The Travelling Theater [5:35] 9. Showtime [8:19] 10. A Job Offer [3:56] 11. Avenging Angels [4:01] 12. Death Tolls [8:03] 13. Trail of Blood [2:57] 14. A Job Interrupted [8:26] 15. Everything Okay [4:48] 16. Homecoming Day [6:17]