I had the chance to rent the movie VERSUS a few years back. I’d heard it was worth giving a watch and had no idea what to expect. The end result was that I loved the movie. It was one of those off the wall adventures that you had no idea what to expect next. So when I heard that Arrow Video was going to release the movie I was excited all the more.
The movie opens in the past with a Japanese swordsman facing off against a wizard and his henchmen. His goal is to prevent this wizard from opening one of the 666 portals to hell and gaining immortality by sacrificing the blood of an innocent. He succeeds and we move forward to the present.
Two escaped prisoners one of which is Prisoner KSC3-303 (Tak Sakaguchi) are wandering around a forest near where they escaped. The other prisoner is part of a gang that is supposed to meet them there to pick them up. The gang shows and there is little trust between them and KSC3.
Tensions only grow when they bring out a woman they’ve kidnapped (Chieko Misaka). The leader of this group lets the prisoners know that he intends to kill off their boss and take over the gang. It isn’t long before trouble kicks in, people are killed and things begin to get weird. Weird as in the dead begin to rise only to be killed again.
This is when the gang begins to wonder about this location and why their boss chose it. KSC2 and the girl are taken to a nearby spot of land these gangsters use to dispose of bodies. Not the best idea because they soon realize the forest is special ground and the dead are rising. Including all of those bodies they killed before.
More assassins arrive to help the gang, KSC3 and the girl escape trying to make their way out of the woods and eventually the big boss shows and lets them all know who is in charge. All of this ties into the film’s opening sequence and we realize the boss is the wizard and KSC3 is the warrior he faced long ago.
Deep down the story here is fairly simple and not as complicated as it could have been. It sets up the good guys versus the bad and wraps it in plenty of gore and special effects as well as some decent martial arts action. The characters are all surface, almost comic book characters and that works to the advantage of the film. This is not social commentary, this is just plain fun. It’s pure escapism of the best kind with tons of action, enough story to satisfy and a lot to enjoy.
Knowing how good the movie is, knowing that Arrow is releasing their version only makes it better beginning with a brand new 2K restoration from original film elements by Arrow Films, approved by director Ryûhei Kitamura. Not only that there are both versions of the film: the original 2000 cut and 2004’s Ultimate Versus, featuring over 10 minutes of new and revised footage. But this is Arrow Video. Surely there are a ton of extras. Of course!
Those include an audio commentary by Kitamura and producer Keishiro Shin, an audio commentary by Kitamura and the cast and crews, a new visual essay on the career of Kitamura by Japanese cinema expert Jasper Sharp, BEHIND VERSUS a 2 part behind the scenes documentary about the film’s production, FIRST CONTACT: VERSUS EVOLUTION a featurette exploring the film’s origin, TAK SAKAGUCHI’S ONE-MAN JOURNEY an archival featurette about the actor’s visit to the 2001 Japan Film Festival in Hamburg, film festival screening footage, TEAM VERSUS a brief look inside the Napalm Films office, DEEP IN THE WOODS an archival featurette featuring interviews with Kitamura, cast and crew, THE ENCOUNTER an archival interview with editor Shûichi Kakesu, deleted scenes with audio commentary by Kitamura, cast and crew, NERVOUS and NERVOUS 2 two side story mini-movies featuring characters from the main feature, a featurette on the making of NERVOUS 2, VERSUS FF VERSION a condensed 20-minute recut of the film, trailers, an image gallery, SAKIGAGE! OTOKO! VERUS JUKU a featurette on the newly shot material for Ultimate Versus, reversible sleeve with original and newly created artwork by Chris Malbon and for the first pressing only an illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film and a reprinted interview with Kitamura by Tom Mes and notes on the making of the film by Kitamura.
If you love the
movie this is the version you need in your collection. If you’ve never seen it
now is the time to watch it. Arrow Video has once more outdone themselves.
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