Versus (2000) Movie Info
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Movie Name | Versus (2000) |
| Original Title | Vâsasu |
| Director | Ryûhei Kitamura |
| Screenplay Writer | Ryûhei Kitamura, Yudai Yamaguchi |
| Based on Novel by | — (Original screenplay) |
| Lead Actors | Tak Sakaguchi |
| Cast | Tak Sakaguchi, Hideo Sakaki, Chieko Misaka, Kenji Matsuda |
| Genre | Action, Horror, Fantasy |
| Release Date | October 14, 2000 (Japan) |
| Duration | 1h 59m (119 minutes) |
| Budget | Independent Japanese production |
| Language | Japanese |
| Country | Japan |
| Box Office (Worldwide) | International cult release |
| IMDb Rating | ~6.4/10 |
| Notable For | Crazy action choreography, zombies with swords and guns, hyper-stylized direction |
| Special Effects | Practical gore and martial arts action |
| Cult Status | Major cult Japanese action-horror film |
| Tagline | “Prisoners. Gangsters. Zombies. The Ultimate Battle.” |
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We have another Japanese zombie movie here, and by all accounts, these movies are kicking the shit out of other countries in this grossly underappreciated genre. The storyline is as follows. There are 666 portals to the other world. Somewhere in Japan is the 444th portal, which is the Forest of Resurrection. Enough said about that. Cue to the asskickings.
Two inmates (with cool “Lawbreaker” overalls on) are busted out of prison by the local Yakuza. They eventually meet up with each other in the aforementioned Forest of Resurrection. Why the Yakuza busted out these two guys is not really known by us or even by the people in the movie. It was a direct order from their mysterious ass kicking boss. One thing leads to another and then a guy gets capped. Seconds later he returns from the dead (as if resurrected) and starts whipping ass. After this, all shit breaks loose.
There is a pretty good plot behind this movie, and I don’t really want to ruin it for you. Needless to say though, there is plenty of blood, severed limbs, tons of bullets, ripped out hearts, fists through heads, kickass Japanese music, posing beyond belief, mucho one liners, superior fight choreography, and enough asskickings to fill my backyard. The precise ingredients for Japanese zombie mayhem!
The gore is awesome. Much blood and guts. You can always tell when a person gets cashed in, because he spits out a mouthful of fake blood. This might seem childish by some standards, but it’s right up my alley. Violence is also at a premium. Many bullets, blades, and superhuman strength guarantee that. Not a lick of nudity however. You hardly notice. The main female is strangely attractive however.
Acting is not bad. There are some really over the top characters. There is one that would ordinarily annoy the shit out of me, but I somehow looked over his shenanigans. There are many many one liners and posedowns. Every scene has some kind of overdramatic pose.
The camerwork is where this movie really shines. Lots of rotating camera angles and still shots. It looks like they really thought this through. The flashbacks give me chills from their authenticity. I’m such a drama queen!
The music is superb and evokes the proper emotions at the precise time. The storyline is solid, though it is a bit quirky. For example, you have a whole little side story of a couple bounty hunters that doesn’t really amount to much. The overall concept of resurrection is done to perfection, if not entirely original. There are also some legitimately funny parts in this movie.
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