- Versus (film)
Infobox_Film
name = VERSUS
caption = DVD box cover for the "Versus" Director's Cut
director =Ryuhei Kitamura
producer =Hideo Nishimura
writer = Ryuhei KitamuraYudai Yamaguchi
starring =Tak Sakaguchi Hideo Sakaki Chieko Misaka Kenji Matsuda
music =Nobuhiko Morino
cinematography =Takumi Furuya
editing =Shuichi Kakesu
distributor =Media Blasters (US)
released = flagicon|JapanOctober 29 ,2000 flagicon|FranceFebruary 20 ,2002
runtime = 119 min / Ultimate Ver. 153 min.
country = flagcountry|Japan
language = Japanese
website = http://movie.softgarage.com/versus/
amg_id = 1:255954
imdb_id = 0275773 nihongo|"Versus"|VERSUS -ヴァーサス-|Vāsasu is a 2000Japan ese action/horror film directed byRyuhei Kitamura .ynopsis
Several Japanese mobsters are dispatched to pick up an escaped convict in a place known as the "Forest of Resurrection," where the dead have recently become reanimated as
zombies . The convict they are sent to retrieve turns out to have a strange destiny involving repeatedreincarnation s of himself and several other people throughout history.Cast
*
Tak Sakaguchi as Prisoner KSC2-303
*Hideo Sakaki as The Man
*Chieko Misaka as The Girl
*Kenji Matsuda as Yakuza Leader with butterfly knife
*Yuichiro Arai as Motorcycle-riding yakuza with revolver
*Minoru Matsumoto as Crazy yakuza with amulet
*Kazuhito Ohba as Yakuza with glasses
*Takehiro Katayama as Red-haired assassin
*Ayumi Yoshihara as Long-haired female assassin
*Shôichirô Masumoto as One-handed cop
*Toshiro Kamiaka as Samurai warrior
*Yukihito Tanikado as Cop with Barrett
*Hoshimi Asai as Short-haired female assassin
*Ryosuke Watabe as Yakuza zombie in alligator-skin coat
*Motonari Komiya as Other prisoner
*Liang-Jie Vorgs Jin "Ryan Torda " as Other prisonerVoiceovers
English
“Hero”-
Lex Lang “Heroine”-
Dorothy Elias-Fahn (credited as Midge Mayes)“Ponytail/Sidekick”-
Crispin Freeman (credited as Mark Percy)“Glasses”-
Dave Mallow “Jacket”-
Paul St. Peter (credited as George C. Cole)“Suit”-
Dave Wittenberg (credited as Dave Levyland)“Beard”-
Derek Stephen Prince (credited as David Umansky)“Convict”-
Dan Woren (credited as Jackson Daniels)“Kick Ass Girl/ Gun Girl”-
Lynn Fischer “Detective”-
Michael McConnohie “Villain”-
Kirk Thornton (credited as Ron Allen)Trivia
* Among the numerous references to other films are the laser target on the protagonists sword at the end (a reference to the laser sight from "Predator") and several gory moments reminiscent of "
The Evil Dead " series - especially those involving the ripped-off hand.
* None of the characters in the film are named. The protagonist is known only by his serial number - 'KSC2-303', while others are known by their descriptions, nicknames or professions.
* The ending leaves an opening for a sequel, which is currently under production.
* 10 cast members from this movie would appear in "Alive", also directed byRyuhei Kitamura .
* Many of the cast and crew of this film went on to produce "Battlefield Baseball ".
*Hideo Kojima , the producer-director of the "Metal Gear " series, was an extra in "Versus", and a friend of Kitamura. Versus also influenced the swordfighting scenes in "Metal Gear Solid 2". Kitamura later directed the cut-scenes for "", a remake of the original "Metal Gear Solid ".
* British jazz musicianCourtney Pine paid visual homage to "Versus" on the cover of his 2003 album "Devotion".External links
* [http://movie.softgarage.com/versus/ Official Film Website] - In Japanese
*imdb title|0275773|Versus
*cite web |url=http://www.jmdb.ne.jp/2001/dy002470.htm|title=ＶＥＲＳＵＳ|accessdate=2007-07-19|language=Japanese|publisher=Japanese Movie Database Reviews
* [http://www.mandiapple.com/snowblood/versus.htm Snowblood Apple]
* [http://nipponcinema.com/db/review/versus Nippon Cinema]
* [http://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/versus.shtml Midnight Eye]
* [http://acdrifter.com/Asian-Movie-Review/3/Versus.html Asian Cinema Drifter]
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