Dead or alive 2: Birds [DVD] (D)

This film is an unusual sequel to “Dead or Alive”; unusual in that is has the same two lead actors but virtually nothing else in common with the original in terms of plot. In this instalment (one of three) Sho Aikawa plays Mizuki Okamoto, a hit man hired to execute a member of the Yakuza. But instead the opportunity is missed when a mysterious man beats him to it. Fearing retribution Okamoto flees to the small island of his youth, only to be met by the same assassin whom he discovers is an old friend. Together, the two of them join forces using the proceeds from hits to buy vaccines for Third World children. Despite this set-up, Miike has very little use for the conventions of narrative, preferring to engage in the violent, kinetic excesses that are his signature, not to mention the dabbling in surrealist motifs, flashbacks and asides that often baffle. An intriguing mix of humour and action with redemptive overtones. Cast includes Show Aikawa, Riki Takeuchi, Endo Kenichi, Shinya Tsukamoto and Edison Chen.