7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Two hitmen meet when they are hired to kill the same person, and they realize they were childhood friends. They decide to start killing together, this time on the side of good.
Starring: Shô Aikawa (II), Riki Takeuchi, Edison Chen, Ken'ichi Endô, Shinya TsukamotoForeign | 100% |
Crime | 16% |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Japanese: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Note: This film is available as part of the Dead or
Alive Trilogy.
For those unfamiliar with Takashi Miike, perhaps taking a cue from St. Thomas Aquinas’ famous quote about belief could be of some aid. Aquinas
wrote,
“To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.” Taking that formulation as a foundation, one
might amend it slightly to say “For those who have seen a Miike film, no explanation is necessary. For those who haven’t, no explanation is
possible.”
As I mentioned in the relatively recent reviews of
Takashi Miike’s Black Society Trilogy, this provocateur’s filmography is extremely varied, as well as extremely numerous. Somewhat
similarly to the Black Society Trilogy, a trifecta in name only (more or less), Miike’s Dead or Alive Trilogy offers only some relatively
tangential linking elements (including its stars, again like Black Society Trilogy) while serving up Miike’s typically hyperbolic take on various
underworld activities. In a way Miike tends to remind me at times of Quentin Tarantino, for he’s an artist with an obvious understanding of structure
and film technique who nonetheless is more apt than not to throw caution to the wind and dispense with traditional methods of exposition and
especially presentation in an effort to kind of virtually shake the audience into either submission or, perhaps, outright revulsion. Those with
squeamish
sensibilities are therefore probably best advised to approach Miike’s work with extreme caution, though those with a certain amount of fortitude will
discover a filmmaker of such unusual talents that one way or the other his productions are unforgettable.
Dead or Alive 2: Birds is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Arrow's somewhat circumspect lack of information on this transfer's provenance may indicate some source related issues that couldn't be overcome, and while this effort is largely in line with the quality I outlined in the Dead or Alive Blu-ray review, I'm marking this transfer down just a bit because some of the odd color choices (which I'm frankly not sure accurately recreate the theatrical version) really tend to negatively affect detail levels. Look at screenshot 10, which is so bathed in blue that flesh tones look alien and fine detail is minimal at best. That said, other parts of this transfer look a good deal more natural, with much better detail levels. As with the first film, there is some variability in clarity, detail levels and especially palette reproduction (aside from the aforementioned blue situation, several scenes are bathed in a kind of sickly looking yellow-green tone). Also as with the first film, crush is evident in some dark scenes, grain is a little chunky (and yellow) looking at times, and compression has a few hurdles to overcome.
Much as with the first film, Dead or Alive 2: Birds' LPCM 2.0 track offers a good reproduction of dialogue, effects (including lots of rain sounds in a long flashback sequence), and score. Fidelity is fine and there are no problematic dropouts or distortion.
Dead or Alive 2: Birds doesn't have quite the energy that the first film does, but it's bizarre in that typical Miike way, while also having a relatively straightforward narrative (which nonetheless includes some downright provocative material). Video quality is just slightly less detailed than the first film, but audio is fine. Miike regulars will probably get at least a bit of a kick out of this, while others may want to move on to something a little less out there.
(Still not reliable for this title)
1999
2002
1995
1997
1999
初恋 / Hatsukoi
2019
아저씨
2010
Fong juk / 放‧逐
2006
1970
喋血雙雄 / Dip huet seung hung
1989
Milano Rovente
1973
ドーベルマン刑事 / Doberuman deka
1977
Battles Without Honor and Humanity - Deadly Fight in Hiroshima
1973
1968
1969
1968
1968
Minagoroshi no kenjû
1967
2005
現代やくざ 人斬り与太 / Gendai yakuza: hito-kiri yota
1972