Versus (2003)
Directed by Ryuhei Kitamura
Starring Taku Sakaguchi & Hideo Sakaki
116 mins; R18+
Previewed Release: R0 Madman/Eastern Eye
Tagline: Witness a battle no one has ever seen.
Country of Origin: Japan
The Film:
Versus is the very epitome of audacious filmmaking, an action film par
excellence and an astonishingly kinetic and frenetic zombie flick. On making the film, Ryuhei Kitamura professes that he wanted to create an action movie that most Japanese filmmakers had shied away from after competition from the big budget excesses of Hollywood. And he succeeds. Versus harks back to the epic Kurosawa films of the eighties, the Lone Wolf and Cub samurai films and Schwarzenegger actioners. Only it is a much more accomplished film than at least these latter two comparisons in both in style and direction.
Part-escape movie, part-Arnie style action/adventure, part Romeroesque zombie film, Versus is set in the Japanese Forest of Resurrection, which, legend has it, is home to the 444th out of 666 gates to Hell. It is there that two prisoners, led by KSC2-303, escape from their wardens and to a waiting group of Yakuza, who are meant to abet their getaway. When they are double-crossed, KSC2-303 escapes with a female hostage with the Yakuza and the two brutal cops they evaded hot on their trail. And as if that wasn’t enough, the dead begin to rise: murdered gangsters the Yakuza clan dispatched and buried in the forest when they didn’t behave. And, naturally, they are out for blood.
The Release:
Madman (formerly with the AV Channel) have done well by Versus, giving Australian customers a DVD to be proud of: features include an interesting making-of featurette (with many of the actors, cast and Kitamura speaking very good English), a reasonably dull interview with the film’s editor, one of Kitamura’s short films titled Nervous and some trailers. The DVD is R0 and has a Dolby Digital soundtrack in both 5.1 surround and 2.0 stereo, with a great visual transfer. However, the new Versus releases (distinguishable by the new ratings advice on the cover) has a reversible jacket, which allows you to get rid of that ludicrously huge R rating on the front. In short, a five star movie on a five star DVD.
The Verdict:
The first thing that first strikes you about Versus is its sheer style: Kitamura (who also co-scripted) is an immensely talented director and certainly knows what he is doing when he is behind the lens. Cinematographer Takumi Furuya shows off some snazzy, uber-stylish angles and, with a thumping rock/techno soundtrack, Versus can be shot into the frenetic movie-making hall of fame. The zombies are also pretty interesting: they don’t run, they don’t shamble, they just appear and don’t do much gut-chomping. However, that’s not to say that Versus isn’t without the trademark zombie film gore – we are treated to everything, here, from holes in the head and spilled viscera, to a zombie’s eyes being plucked out of its head. Excellent, and one of the most frantic films you are likely to see.
The Hitcher (1986)
Directed by Robert Harmon
Starring Rutger Hauer, C. Thomas Howell, Jennifer Jason Leigh
93 mins; R18+
Release: R4 Universal/Studio Canal
Tagline: Never pick up a stranger.
Country of Origin: USA
The Film:
A reasonable bit of interest was generated around Hitcher ’86
after its remake was released in cinemas, a glossy scare-em-up by serial-remake artist Michael Bay’s (Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Amityville Horror) production group Platinum Dunes. It is therein where the true value of a remake lies: if the redux is shit, you can always return to the nasty little piece that was remodelled. The fact that The Hitcher was remade really illustrates how defunct Hollywood horror inspiration is – how a film as taut and thrilling as Robert Harmon’s horror classic was thought outdated is beyond many horror fans.
The Hitcher was one of the first (and certainly the most famous) films to illustrate the age-old urban legend: a killer hitchhiker who mercilessly slaughters his victims. Certainly it has happened before – Ivan Milat is a prime example of the fact that The Hitcher is far from a work of fanciful fiction. Jim Halsey (Howell) is travelling through the sparse US desert to deliver a car to California when he stops to pick up hitchhiker John Ryder (Hauer, in a stunning performance). He comes to regret this decision when Ryder holds a knife to his throat, recounting to him the grisly details of the fate of his victims. Jim manages to wrestle Ryder out of the car and stops at a diner, where the working waitress Nash (Leigh) allows him to phone the police. But when they come, the fuzz arrest Jim after it is found that John planted a bloody knife and severed finger on him. It is a taut game of cat and mouse from here on in, with John trying to frame Jim for his brutal murders. It is up to Jim (with the assistance of Nash) to prove his innocence to the police, who are shooting first and asking questions later.
The Release:
No frills extras-wise. In fact, nothing extras-wise. The film is presented in the widescreen ratio 2:35:1 and with two English soundtracks (5.1 surround and 2.0 stereo). Picture and audio isn’t bad for a twenty year old horror flick. The Brits have released a special edition DVD on R2, and if you have a multi-region DVD player (or access to one) then that’s the way to go.
The Verdict:
The Hitcher is a highly underrated horror film that has unfairly eluded many ‘top 10’ lists for years. It has gone down in horror movie history to inspire a number of derivatives, including a made-for-TV sequel, its remake and a bunch of Italo-exploitation rip-offs, including a David Hess vehicle Hitch-Hike. The film is nowhere near as violent as some would have you think and, like its loose inspiration The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, relies on a great amount of tension to get its point across. And it succeeds. Well worth your time and money, but only entertain the Aussie DVD if it’s dirt cheap. Otherwise, the R2 import is definitely the way to go.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
Directed by Marcus Nipsel
Starring Jessica Biel, Jonathan Tucker, R Lee Ermey
98 mins; Not Rated
Previewed Release: R1 New Line Platinum Series digipack
Tagline: This year’s most hardcore and terrifying film.
Country of Origin: USA
The Film:
Before I delve into this review, I’d just like to say this: Tobe Hoop
er’s 1974 original Texas Chain Saw Massacre, which this film remakes, is my favourite horror film. Ever. Never has the sheer tension of it come close to anything ever made after it: not any of its three sequels; not its prequel; any of the Eurotrash rip-offs and certainly not this. However, even if this is inferior, it is certainly not a bad film for a number of reasons.
Returning from Mexico and going to a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert, four friends pick up a lost and disoriented girl covered in dust and blood. When they try and find out what has happened, she shoots herself. The four (plus dead girl) manage to find a service station, where they ring out for the Sheriff, who tells them to go to an abandoned mill and wait. He doesn’t turn up, so two of them – Erin (Biel) and Kemper (Tucker) – go on a search and stumble upon a large house occupied by a wheelchair-bound weirdo and the chainsaw-wielding Leatherface. So it begins…
The Release:
Directed by Ryuhei Kitamura
Starring Taku Sakaguchi & Hideo Sakaki
116 mins; R18+
Previewed Release: R0 Madman/Eastern Eye
Tagline: Witness a battle no one has ever seen.
Country of Origin: Japan
The Film:
Versus is the very epitome of audacious filmmaking, an action film par
excellence and an astonishingly kinetic and frenetic zombie flick. On making the film, Ryuhei Kitamura professes that he wanted to create an action movie that most Japanese filmmakers had shied away from after competition from the big budget excesses of Hollywood. And he succeeds. Versus harks back to the epic Kurosawa films of the eighties, the Lone Wolf and Cub samurai films and Schwarzenegger actioners. Only it is a much more accomplished film than at least these latter two comparisons in both in style and direction.Part-escape movie, part-Arnie style action/adventure, part Romeroesque zombie film, Versus is set in the Japanese Forest of Resurrection, which, legend has it, is home to the 444th out of 666 gates to Hell. It is there that two prisoners, led by KSC2-303, escape from their wardens and to a waiting group of Yakuza, who are meant to abet their getaway. When they are double-crossed, KSC2-303 escapes with a female hostage with the Yakuza and the two brutal cops they evaded hot on their trail. And as if that wasn’t enough, the dead begin to rise: murdered gangsters the Yakuza clan dispatched and buried in the forest when they didn’t behave. And, naturally, they are out for blood.
The Release:
Madman (formerly with the AV Channel) have done well by Versus, giving Australian customers a DVD to be proud of: features include an interesting making-of featurette (with many of the actors, cast and Kitamura speaking very good English), a reasonably dull interview with the film’s editor, one of Kitamura’s short films titled Nervous and some trailers. The DVD is R0 and has a Dolby Digital soundtrack in both 5.1 surround and 2.0 stereo, with a great visual transfer. However, the new Versus releases (distinguishable by the new ratings advice on the cover) has a reversible jacket, which allows you to get rid of that ludicrously huge R rating on the front. In short, a five star movie on a five star DVD.
The Verdict:
The first thing that first strikes you about Versus is its sheer style: Kitamura (who also co-scripted) is an immensely talented director and certainly knows what he is doing when he is behind the lens. Cinematographer Takumi Furuya shows off some snazzy, uber-stylish angles and, with a thumping rock/techno soundtrack, Versus can be shot into the frenetic movie-making hall of fame. The zombies are also pretty interesting: they don’t run, they don’t shamble, they just appear and don’t do much gut-chomping. However, that’s not to say that Versus isn’t without the trademark zombie film gore – we are treated to everything, here, from holes in the head and spilled viscera, to a zombie’s eyes being plucked out of its head. Excellent, and one of the most frantic films you are likely to see.
The Hitcher (1986)
Directed by Robert Harmon
Starring Rutger Hauer, C. Thomas Howell, Jennifer Jason Leigh
93 mins; R18+
Release: R4 Universal/Studio Canal
Tagline: Never pick up a stranger.
Country of Origin: USA
The Film:
A reasonable bit of interest was generated around Hitcher ’86
after its remake was released in cinemas, a glossy scare-em-up by serial-remake artist Michael Bay’s (Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Amityville Horror) production group Platinum Dunes. It is therein where the true value of a remake lies: if the redux is shit, you can always return to the nasty little piece that was remodelled. The fact that The Hitcher was remade really illustrates how defunct Hollywood horror inspiration is – how a film as taut and thrilling as Robert Harmon’s horror classic was thought outdated is beyond many horror fans.The Hitcher was one of the first (and certainly the most famous) films to illustrate the age-old urban legend: a killer hitchhiker who mercilessly slaughters his victims. Certainly it has happened before – Ivan Milat is a prime example of the fact that The Hitcher is far from a work of fanciful fiction. Jim Halsey (Howell) is travelling through the sparse US desert to deliver a car to California when he stops to pick up hitchhiker John Ryder (Hauer, in a stunning performance). He comes to regret this decision when Ryder holds a knife to his throat, recounting to him the grisly details of the fate of his victims. Jim manages to wrestle Ryder out of the car and stops at a diner, where the working waitress Nash (Leigh) allows him to phone the police. But when they come, the fuzz arrest Jim after it is found that John planted a bloody knife and severed finger on him. It is a taut game of cat and mouse from here on in, with John trying to frame Jim for his brutal murders. It is up to Jim (with the assistance of Nash) to prove his innocence to the police, who are shooting first and asking questions later.
The Release:
No frills extras-wise. In fact, nothing extras-wise. The film is presented in the widescreen ratio 2:35:1 and with two English soundtracks (5.1 surround and 2.0 stereo). Picture and audio isn’t bad for a twenty year old horror flick. The Brits have released a special edition DVD on R2, and if you have a multi-region DVD player (or access to one) then that’s the way to go.
The Verdict:
The Hitcher is a highly underrated horror film that has unfairly eluded many ‘top 10’ lists for years. It has gone down in horror movie history to inspire a number of derivatives, including a made-for-TV sequel, its remake and a bunch of Italo-exploitation rip-offs, including a David Hess vehicle Hitch-Hike. The film is nowhere near as violent as some would have you think and, like its loose inspiration The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, relies on a great amount of tension to get its point across. And it succeeds. Well worth your time and money, but only entertain the Aussie DVD if it’s dirt cheap. Otherwise, the R2 import is definitely the way to go.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
Directed by Marcus Nipsel
Starring Jessica Biel, Jonathan Tucker, R Lee Ermey
98 mins; Not Rated
Previewed Release: R1 New Line Platinum Series digipack
Tagline: This year’s most hardcore and terrifying film.
Country of Origin: USA
The Film:
Before I delve into this review, I’d just like to say this: Tobe Hoop
er’s 1974 original Texas Chain Saw Massacre, which this film remakes, is my favourite horror film. Ever. Never has the sheer tension of it come close to anything ever made after it: not any of its three sequels; not its prequel; any of the Eurotrash rip-offs and certainly not this. However, even if this is inferior, it is certainly not a bad film for a number of reasons.Returning from Mexico and going to a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert, four friends pick up a lost and disoriented girl covered in dust and blood. When they try and find out what has happened, she shoots herself. The four (plus dead girl) manage to find a service station, where they ring out for the Sheriff, who tells them to go to an abandoned mill and wait. He doesn’t turn up, so two of them – Erin (Biel) and Kemper (Tucker) – go on a search and stumble upon a large house occupied by a wheelchair-bound weirdo and the chainsaw-wielding Leatherface. So it begins…
The Release:
The New Line Platinum Series digipack is as good a release of this film as you can get. The digipack itself folds out into a chainsaw blade and contains two discs with a plethora of special features: three commentaries; alternate opening and ending; deleted scenes with commentary; feature length doco; a featurette on Ed Gein; screen tests; DVD Rom stuff and more. It also comes with a metal face plate containing the cover art emblazoned on the front and eight evidence cards. The audio/visual transfer is also exceptional. Unfortunately, its only available on R1 and its out of print. A worthy substitute would be the two-disc R4 release, which is too becoming scant and doesn’t have the face plate or evidence cards.
The Verdict:
TCM ’03 is an entirely different film to TCM ’74, save for the fact that it contains teenagers being led to their death at the hands of Leatherface, a chainsaw wielding maniac. Remakes can rarely win if they deviate off from their source material: it begs the question, how could they possibly think they could do better? But it’s clear that Nipsel isn’t really wanting to remake the film in the literal sense of the term, rather create a companion piece to the original. It relies on a considerable amount of assumed knowledge if this remake is to be fully appreciated – the incident at the meatworks, for one. The acting is generally great, certainly better than TCM ’74, and the addition of R Lee Ermey (Full Metal Jacket’s sadistic platoon leader) as a villain is a nice touch. I do like and can appreciate what Nipsel has done with this and, as long as it isn’t seen as a competitor to the original rather than a companion piece, it may get the love it deserves from both the horror filmgoer in general and the die-hard fans of the original.
