Production Year: 2000 - Horror - Director: Ryuhei Kitamura - Original Language: Japanese - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Hideo Sakaki, Tak Sakaguchi, Chieko Misaki more
This kinetic horror/action hybrid stars Tak Sakaguchi as Prisoner KSC2-303, a criminal who has just escaped from a maximum security prison. Heading to the Forest of Resurrection to... more
Versus DVD
There are 666 portals to the other side and somewhere in Japan lies the home of the ... more
444th. It is here that Prisoner KSC2-303 escapes from his fellow inmates to rendezvous with a group of men who will lead him to safety. After he realises that the pri...
A review by clownfoot on Versus (DVD) December 7th, 2005
Author's product rating:
Did you enjoy it?
Liked it
Story
Very ordinary
Characters / Performances
Satisfactory
Special Effects
Good
How does it compare to similar films?
Satisfactory
Advantages:
Excellent action, great concept, gore by the bucket load .
Disadvantages:
Far too long to be of benefit to the limited concept, gets dull when things are explained .
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
VERSUS
Supposedly there are 666 portals that connect this world to the other side. In Japan lies the 444th portal, the Forest of Resurrection. Following a rendezvous between a pair of recently escaped convicts and the heavily armed Yakuza sent to meet them on the forest road, an argument ensues over a kidnapped girl (Chieko Misaka) which ends in a Mexican stand-off and one of the gangsters shot dead. The stand-off is cut short though, when the still twitching corpse of the dead man gets back to his feet and begins to attack another of his former colleagues. With the zombie shot down in a hail of bullets, the remainder of the gangster's begin to pursue Prisoner KSC2-303 (Tak Sakaguchi - none of the characters in Versus actually have any names) and the girl, who have run off into the forest to escape a similar fate. But the forest does exactly as its name entails - a place with peculiar powers in resurrecting the dead. The gangster's folly is soon realised seeing as they've been using the grounds of the forest to dispose of their previous victims, who are now starting to crawl out from their crude graves before the gangster's very eyes. But even if anyone survives the ensuing battle there's still the question of why the Yakuza have arranged to meet the prisoners at the forest in the first place and why they brought the girl along. And who is this "Man" (Hideo Sakaki) the gangster's keep referring to who seems to be giving the Yakuza their instructions?
The premise of Versus is one of startlingly original potential. The concept of samurai, Yakuza and zombies all facing off against each other in one great blood-thirsty free-for-fall is rather unique and screams of ballsy out-and-out entertainment of the Evil Dead 2 variety (something which has become distinctly lacking in recent years). Not only that, but such a premise also sounds just so damn cool (in a comic-book style over substance kind of fashion) that there's no way in hell it could possibly fail to deliver on all levels. And whilst a maelstrom of gore-laden carnage, hacked up body parts, electric martial arts combat and downright bizarre zombie-plot silliness are present, it somehow contrives in failing to deliver on such expectation.
That doesn't mean that Versus' is a bad film. For the first 45 minutes alone there are enough ludicrous plot shenanigans, hyper-kinetic action scenes and a few original grizzly deaths to keep the majority of style junkies very happy. The opening ambiguity to the bizarre reincarnation of Yakuza victims maintains a well judged aura of suspense, without being out-right terrifying (mostly due to the film being entirely shot in daylight), that is off-set with some blackly humourous moments fitting the circumstances nicely. Witness one of the Yakuza (Kenji Matsuda) shooting dead a fellow colleague in order to adjudge whether the dead really are coming back from the grave. Without taking itself too seriously or attempting to explain or reason the appearance of zombies sufficiently, it simply sets-up a fantastically orchestrated battle against the zombie hordes. And the action is exceptionally fun and hardcore.
Here, director Ryuhei Kitamura's camera-work is fast-moving and visceral, obviously promoting a similar Evil Dead style to events, and whilst it often becomes a bit jittery he does capture some remarkable angles for the balletesque violence, combat and blood on show. Zombies being shot to bits with a variety of gun-power incorporating heads, chests and many other body parts exploding in a mass of gore are the essential highlights with some elaborate wire-work for the combat elements between Yakuza versus Zombies and Prisoner KSC2-303 versus Yakuza. Whilst none of the action scenes are as grandiose or as well marshalled as a John Woo Hong Kong action flick, they do have their own cheesily-cheerful charm in a simply entertaining way. When "The Man" does turn up the violence is toned up a notch with the punching out of a still beating human heart being a particularly memorable sequence.
Indeed the first half of Versus is brainlessly engaging and stylishly entertaining in spite of the relatively small budget. But then it starts to lose its way. By removing the stylish content of the opening third and replacing it with heavy dialogue laden scenes interspersed with the odd dollop of action, Versus ends up out staying it's welcome by some 60 minutes. The reasoning behind the zombies awaking turns into a rather ham-fisted spiritual battle that's been ongoing throughout the sands of time that's neither well-thought out nor delivered in a convincing fashion. As such, Versus loses its previously simple fluidity and focus and becomes a rather confusing mess of a film. Not sure of what it's supposed to be or where it's meant to be heading, more unnecessary characters are introduced that merely expand on Versus' running time. For instance, the police sheriff and his handless chum attempting to capture the prisoners may be slightly amusing, but they're deliberately contrived and pointless in the grand scheme of things, merely detracting Versus from reaching a logical conclusion. Two hours is just too long for a movie with such a slight concept.
Sure, there are the odd moments of extreme gore still to enjoy and the occasional samurai flashback adds up to a brilliantly orchestrated and choreographed Highlander-ish "there can be only one" finale, but the remainder of Versus just hits a rather flat note. Add to this an unnecessary ending attempting to deliver that now obligatory concluding twist, that doesn't work at all, and what you've got is a rather messy film that's to self-conscious for it's own good. Which is a shame as there are plenty of good thing's in here. On top of the gore, style and action, the acting, for a bunch of new comers, is decent throughout. Matsuda may be a little over the top along with Minoru Matsumoto's perpetually screaming terrified Yakuza, but this is off-set by excellent performances from both Sakaguchi and Sakaki. Sakaguchi personifies moody cool as the escaped prisoner with conflicting morals and a leather jacket. Sakaki is an endearing arch-nemesis dispatching dialogue such as "you'll need an army to kill me" with delightfully omnipotent glee before kicking arse.
A film of two half's then? Pretty much so! If Kitimara had kept to the simple B-movie concept established in the first section of Versus, there's little doubt that this would have been a ridiculous silly, yet highly entertaining hour and a bit of gore-laden fun. However, the fact he felt compelled to establish a more serious tone to the film by attaching actual explanation of what's going on and stretching it out to a rather ill-judged two hours in length, is at major odds with the original concept. Which, in the end, makes this a rather disappointing experience…
Overall - A film with great ideas but fatally flawed in execution, Versus still has it's moments which makes this worth watching in a post-pub kind of way. Fuelled with alcohol and chilli sauce from the after pub kebab, you can happily watch the first 45 minutes of Versus before falling asleep in the knowledge that you've watched the most fun parts of the film. As it stands as a non-post pub movie, Versus would have been far better had it been shorter, less self-conscious, devoid of needless comedy characters and if it actually featured one chainsaw (the lack of a single chainsaw in the running time is highly disappointing). A shame as the good bits (punching through someone's chest and pulling out there heart, the excellent sword fight at the end) are inexplicably good!
Director - Ryuhei Kitamura
Screenplay - Ryuhei Kitamura & Yudai Yamaguchi
Cast -
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
Advantages: Lots of fighting for no reason Disadvantages: Subtitles, for those that don't like them
A pair of escaped convicts meet up with a group of gangsters by a remote forest road. After an arguement over a girl the mobsters have kidnapped, shots are fired and one of the gangsters is killed. The standoff is cut short, however, when the dead man suddenly springs to life and starts trying to kill his former friends. The zombie eventually goes down in a hail bullets, but their problems aren't over. It seems the gangsters have been using this ... ...are now looking to settle some old scores. Even if they get through this mess, there is still the question of why they've arranged to meet the convicts out here, and why they've brought along the girl. How are they connected to the dead bodies coming back to life?
I liked this movie for it's originality as i have never seen a Japanese zombie/martial arts film. So very odd, stuck on an island with plenty of eerie feeling about it.
One to watch if ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
...of policeman for the Night Watch and tries to keep the fragile truce in tact whilst others bend it as much as possible for their own ends.
Then there is, the "prophecy" which tells of a great "Other" who will break the Truce between the Watches, and so tip the balance of power for one side or the other. But who will the great "Other" side with?
~Opinions~
The film gets a little complicated at times but a second viewing will remedy that and it is worth watching again.
It is a very good action/fantasy film. Being set and actually filmed in Russia adds to the originality of the film and gives it a freshness
The special effects are also quite good. They are done with a subtlety that does not overwhelm the film.
It is a typical film of good versus evil but a film that you will really enjoy
~DVD Features~
Not much really:
Subtitles...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: dramatic recount of dog fights Disadvantages: none for me
...AIR BATTLES OF WORLD WAR TWO
This DVD is another great documentation from battles fought in world war 2. This DVD features some dramatic dog fights over Britain, fought between British and German pilots during the Battle of Britain. And the Japanese Zeros versus the American Hellcats and corsairs over the pacific. And the USAAF raid on the ploesti oilfields in Romania.
The DVD contains an Interactive menu, scene selection, previews on other war files titles.
Having had family who fought in WWII it fascinates me to see the kinds of things that they had to go through. It is great being able to learn more about our history, as during my whole time in school all of our history studies revolved around Russia and Germany. Which even then just did not seem to make sense to me. And so I embarked on my journey of learning about it...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: jet li against quick draws, and native americans. Disadvantages: I prefer it in china lol
...people where his disciple do their best to help him regain his memory, by attacking him.
once he regains his memory, a group of bandits attack, which leads to jet li saving the day, which leads to the creation of the first china
town.
Great story with multicultural actors, from white black to native indian to chinese. fastest guns in the west versus the fastest legs in the east. grfaet action.
dvd features, english and original cantonese audio, with english subtitles. along with biographys of jet li, and trailers of the movie and trailers featuring jet li....
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Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
Plot: Two inmates manage to escape from a maximum security prison and make their way to a forest where they are due to be rescued by a gang of fellow criminals... Japanese dialogue.
Release details
DVD Region: DVD
Studio(s): PALISADES TARTAN; LACE GROUP; SONY DADC
Release date: 30/06/2003
No of Discs: 1
Catalogue No: TVD 3416
Barcode: 5023965341624
Languages
Main Language: Japanese
Subtitle Language: English
DVD Description
This kinetic horror/action hybrid stars Tak Sakaguchi as Prisoner KSC2-303, a criminal who has just escaped from a maximum security prison. Heading to the Forest of Resurrection to meet up with some gangsters, KSC2-303's escape plan soon veers off course when an argument with one of the gangsters leads KSC2-303 to shoot him. Worse still, KSC2-303 finds out the hard way that when you kill something in the Forest of Resurrection, it does not stay dead. Things get even more complicated when all the dead people the gangsters have buried in the forest begin coming back to life and packing heat. Blending zombie horror with EVIL DEAD 2 style slapstick and Hong Kong action pyrotechnics, VERSUS is a very bloody and very enjoyable thriller.
Technical information
Special Features: Star And Director Filmographies, Scene Selection, Mark Wyatt Film Notes, Behind Versus Documentary, The Story Of Versus, Original Trailers, Asia Extreme Trailer Reel
![Versus [DVD] [2000]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78511481.jpg)
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