VERSUS (2000)

RYUHEI KITAMURA

Action/Adventure Horror Violence Martial Arts Recommended

Cast

TAKU SAKAGUCHI HIDEO SAKAKI KENJI MATSUDA TAKEHIRO KATAYAMA YUKIHITO TANIKADO KAZUHITO OHBA CHIEKO MISAKA MOTONARI KOMIYA YUICHIRO ARAI HOSHIMI ASAI TOSHIRO KAMIAKA MINORU MATSUMOTO SHOICHIRO MATSUMOTO AYUMI YOSHIHARA

Plot

Zatoichi it ain't, but there is still some fun to be had with this hyper-kinetic kung-fu zombie splatterfest. The story involves two escaped convicts who rendevous with a group of yakuza and their female captive on the edge of the Forest of Resurrection, the 444th of 666 portals between this world and the Other Side. You would think they know better but soon bullets are flying and the dead are kicking ass. The gore is plentiful and the pace frenetic but plot and characterisation are more thin on the ground, Kitamura gets the plot out the way in the first ten minutes and then concentrates on the fighting. Versus has none of the subtlety that has helped make eastern cinema a breath of fresh air in recent years, owing more to The Evil Dead and Highlander than to The Ring and its ilk, but if its gory high-kicking hijinx you're after grab yourself a six-pack and a copy of Versus and you probably won't be dissappointed.