Yes, it's another yakuza movie (well, close enough, anyway), but, like all of Miike's crime movies, it has its own flavor. Two rival hit men (Miike regulars Sho Aikawa and Riki Takeuchi) discover that they're old friends. They were raised together in the same orphanage. In the first half of the film, the two travel back to the small island where they grew up. In the second half, they return to Tokyo as partners, avenging angels who donate their blood money to charity. The film is a powerful story of lost innocence and rediscovered friendship. Miike creates many stunning sequences, including a gorgeous montage where the two men entertain children with a play while the film cross-cuts to a gang war, the fruit of their wicked labor. And then the final sequence is just beautiful, managing to be both enormously touching and humorous. It's a great flick, and, if anyone is interested in getting to know the director, not a bad place at all to start (it has absolutely nothing to do with the first Dead or Alive movie, either).
Review of Dead or Alive 2: Birds
