Dead or Alive (film)

For the 2007 film based on the video game series, see DOA: Dead or Alive.

Dead or Alive
DVD cover
Directed by	Takashi Miike
Produced by	Mitsuru Kurosawa
Written by	Ichiro Ryu
Starring	Riki Takeuchi Show Aikawa Renji Ishibashi
Music by	Kōji Endō
Cinematography	Hideo Yamamoto
Editing by	Yasushi Shimamura
Distributed by	Daiei
Release date(s)	Japan November 27, 1999 United States June 8, 2001
Running time	105 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese Mandarin

Dead or Alive (DEAD OR ALIVE:犯罪者, Deddo oa araibu: Hanzaisha^?), abbreviated as DOA (Dii ō ei), is a 1999 Japanese yakuza action film directed by Takashi Miike. It stars Riki Takeuchi, as the Chinese Triad boss and former yakuza Ryūichi, and Show Aikawa, as the Japanese cop Detective Jojima, and focuses on their meeting and conflict. It is the first in a three-part series, followed by Dead or Alive 2: Birds in 2000 and Dead or Alive: Final in 2002.

Synopsis

Ryūichi and his small gang of Triad vie for control of the Japanese underworld in a crime-ridden Shinjuku quarter, while Detective Jojima tries to bring it down. Jojima attempts to start a gang war between the Triad and yakuza. Ryūichi and Jojima meet.

Dead or Alive series

The Dead or Alive films are not connected in any apparent way except by director Takashi Miike and stars Riki Takeuchi and Show Aikawa. In the first film, they play yakuza and cop, respectively. Dead or Alive is notable for Takashi Miike's characteristic scenes of ultra-violence and perversity, which come casually littered throughout.

External links

• Dead or Alive at the Internet Movie Database
• Dead or Alive at AllRovi
• Dead or Alive at Metacritic
• (Japanese) Dead or Alive at the Japanese Movie Database