Prisoner KSC2-303 is on the way to his execution when he escapes and flees to a mysterious forest in the mountains of Japan. After meeting up with his liberators, he learns that they are actually part of the Yakuza and they have no intention of leaving the forest until they receive orders from The Man. Easily provoked and quick to resort to violence, Prisoner KSC2-303 kills one of the them and the scene quickly devolves to a Mexican Standoff. Everyone is surprised when the thug rises from the dead. After the initial shock, the Prisoner kills the man again and escapes with a female captive. The two quickly find out that they have escaped to the Forest of Resurrection which is filled with dozens if not hundreds of bodies buried there by the Yakuza over the years. Plagued by zombies and thugs, the Prisoner and the Woman must find some way to escape, but when the Man shows up, he will reveal to them a horrifying destiny they could have never imagined.
The plot of VERSUS is actually very layered, having its origins in a movie that came out years before this one - Down2Hell. It should be noted that VERSUS is an extraordinary film that is truly one of a kind. It's no exaggeration to say that this film made Ryuhei Kitamura's career and exposed his artistry to millions of overseas audiences despite it’s meager budget (it would have been impossible to make this film in America). VERSUS became a huge success because it had both style and substance.
There's even a subplot within VERSUS that makes meta-commentary about itself, but it was so well-written it's one of the most standout high-points of the film. Hilarious and unnecessary, the sub plot revolves around two cops who are trying to track down Prisoner KSC2-303. They show up as comic relief and serve no other purpose than to constantly remind us that our main character is an escapee. What’s great about them, is that they have that cliche dynamic of good cop/bad cop taken to the extreme and played for laughs. Despite the fact that one cop is a hothead and the other is calm and collected neither of them handle any situation in the best way. These two characters became so popular they received two shorts in the Japanese re-release of the film.
Ryuhei Kitamura grabs the mainstays of cinema, throws them in a blender, and hits frappe. He has taken zombies, swordfighting, Yakuza, marital arts, shoot em ups, and shaped them into a spectacle of an action film and he makes it look easy. Despite the numerous details and events going on in the movie every thing fits well together largely due to a script that is airtight.
The cast of VERSUS play their roles with finesse if over the top at times and even then it's within the range of their respective characters. Instead of scouring Japan for actors who are already known, Kitamura was interested in people who could not only act, but fit his world. The two cops are simply priceless and deserve a movie so that they might explore their acting caliber. Kenji Matsuda is just too cool. When he is not acting crazy, he just has this casual style, this swagger and this attitude that gives the impression that he runs the show which isn't far from the truth as he chews up the scenery and his character really stands out.
Tak Sakaguchi (Prisoner KSC2-303) and Hideo Sakaki (The Man) steal the show.
This is Sakaguchi's debut as the Dark Hero and it is this role that people associate with him. Prisoner KSC2-303 is not a nice guy. He is not wrongly accused or thrown in prison for a crime he didn't commit. Everything on his rap sheet is legit. It's more accurate to call him a villain-protagonist because all it would take is a shift of focus to set the audience against him.
Hideo Sakaki is in a league of his own. He is the cold calculating bad guy taken to the next level. When he's told most of his men have been killed he already knows what really went down and doesn't make a big deal out of it. Even after he loses all of his henchman it's just business as usual to him and he ensures that even after experiencing a setback he'll hold the upper-hand. The movie has layers but it's not subtle. Betrayals are easy to see coming, it's easy to tell which characters are going to be alive by movies end, and when The Man shows up all hell breaks loose.
Kitamura didn't skimp on the details when it came to casting. With the exception of two or three of the cast members, every person in the film is a true-to-life martial artist and their skills are on full display in the film. What's great is that we see a wide array of styles including Judo, Kick Boxing, Shotokan, and Ken Po. Also, VERSUS does not overuse special effects. There are a few camera tricks with the lens to change the appearance of the daylight hours and there is some wire-work at the very end of the movie but none of these things are distracting. Kitamura relies on pure creativity and ingenuity in order to tell his story. Also, this is one of the better scores for Japanese action movies. The music doesn't just fit the scenes but also plays into the personality of some of the characters, giving the score a unique feel especially during the high intensity fight scenes.
It has action, style, a genuinely interesting plot, and some really funny scenes despite it's dark theme. The only real complaint I have about the film is that it ended with a cliffhanger and there was supposed to be a sequel to conclude this film. VERSUS was released in 2000. We're currently in 2013. That's all I'll say about that. If you aren't squeamish and if you aren't turned off but a sequel hook which obviously didn't lead to a sequel then I can't think of any reason you shouldn't check this film out. It was a very popular movie that saw three DVD releases so make sure you purchase the Ultimate VERSUS if you want the full experience.
- Jetstream Rev
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