Genre fans like what they like. If you give them buckets of blood and outlandish violence even when backed by a nearly nonsensical plot, they are likely to have a grand ole time. While it would be foolish to reduce Ryuhei Kitamura’s beloved cult favorite Versus to such an assessment, it is not that far off either. Kitamura grew up being influenced by films from the West, as filmmakers such as Sam Raimi or John Carpenter delivered an unhinged aesthetic that really spoke to the director. Japan has long been the purveyor of boundary-pushing cinema to Western audiences, especially in the horror arena that the country operates in so deftly. The extremely low-budget 2000 hit Versus really struck a nerve when it finally reached American shores. This mish-mash of genres takes an “everything and the kitchen sink” approach to the extreme violence that is depicted on screen, which can often make up for a rote plot. The film’s wild ambition has earned it a dedicated fan base that relishes in the way Kitamura puts every ounce of his personality into the project. With the impressive new release from Arrow Video, it is time to see if this low budget zombie action film holds up after twenty years.
I can go about explaining the plot of Versus, but rest assured that this is the least important facet to the film. What you may not know is that the world is graced with 666 portals that act as a gateway to “the other side” that is otherwise hidden from view to humans. These portals can only be viewed by a particular class of warriors who find themselves in the right place at the right time. In an impressively staged opening scene, a samurai warrior is seen dispatching a hoard of enemies before meeting an untimely fate at the hands of a nefarious foe. The setting for this confrontation is the 444th portal known as The Forest of Resurrection – ominous, right? It is in the forest that we proceed to a meeting between two escaped fugitives and a bevy on gangsters who intend to help them before things go a bit awry. Prisoner KSC2-303 (Tak Sakaguchi) does not respond well to the fact that his accomplices have kidnapped a helpless girl (Chieko Misaka) and he expresses his dissatisfaction in a most violent manner. When the two abscond into the forest, they soon learn the twisted fact about these woods: those who have perished in the forest over the centuries are coming back to life as zombies, and our human protagonists are going to have to do a lot of slicing and dicing if they want to stay alive.
With this pesky plot business out of the way, we get to the elements of the film that are most widely appreciated – the over-the-top violence! Versus is a pretty relentless viewing experience as there is never more than ten minutes between one brutally bloody confrontation and the next. With this film being created for less than $500,000, you have to assume that most of the money went toward making these demented kills look as perfect as possible. Bodies have holes put through them and are ripped apart with reckless abandon. Blood and guts line the forest floor, and we would not have it any other way. Outside of the splendid parade of violence, you have characters that can be a bit much to handle. The portrayal of certain individuals are incredibly broad and over-the-top in a way that can feel incongruous to a western sensibility. This is only made worse by the fact that many of these performers simply are not that good. This does not ruin the film, though, as it is intended to be somewhat ridiculous. While bloody action and horror are the primary genres, the sci-fi elements, especially in relation to the antagonists, are just plain silly fun.
Versus has been released in three different forms, the original cut, the R-rated cut, and the Ultimate Versus. This new Arrow Video Blu-Ray of the film includes both the original cut and the Ultimate Versus for your viewing pleasure. At two hours long, the original cut already overstays its welcome somewhat as you begin to reach a burnout on dismemberment at some point. The action scenes are the most notable thing the film has going for it, and Kitamura does not go to great lengths to rectify that. When he does somewhat attempt to do so in Ultimate Versus, the result is just a slightly more flawed film that runs ten minutes longer and slows down the rhythm more. While I may disagree with Kitamura that this is the “ultimate” version of his film, it is greatly appreciated that the choice is given to fans regarding which one they would rather watch in this package. Versus is a low budget labor of love that is lots of fun, but a heavy hand in the editing department would have made the film sing even more than it does. Genre fans who like a film bathed in blood will find a lot to love in here, but be aware that you may become desensitized after a while thanks to a wheel-spinning plot.
Video Quality
This new Blu-Ray from Arrow Video gives Versus and Ultimate Versus an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1 derived from the original 35mm intermediate scanned at 4K. Picture grading was supervised and approved by director Ryuhei Kitamura. The biggest takeaway for longtime fans of the film will be the lack of some of the filters that were used in the theatrical print, as well as the previous Blu-Ray release. Kitamura was aiming to “fix” what he claims to be a rushed decision to complete the film with which he was never satisfied. The change may disappoint longtime fans of the film, but the resulting image is pretty stunning when judged on its own. The film has a pretty solid, gritty grain structure that preserves the filmic look of the picture, showcasing subtle details in the forest locale. There are instances where the grain field becomes a bit heavier than normal, which can become a bit distracting. Skin tones look natural, with an excellent amount of facial detail present in close up – oftentimes covered in blood. Colors pop off the screen nicely, especially in the buckets of crimson blood that soak the environment. The darker moments of the film offer up a slight amount of crush. For the most part, black levels hold up pretty well with some admirable depth to the image. The SD interstitials of Ultimate Versus look pretty rough compared to the rest of the presentation. Overall, Arrow has lovingly given this film a new life on Blu-Ray which allows it to look the best it ever has.
Audio Quality
Versus comes with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 mixes in Japanese and with an English dub in LPCM 2.0. Ultimate Versus gets a slight upgrade with a DTS-HD Master Audio 6.1 mix in Japanese and English and LPCM 2.0 mixes in both languages. Subtitles are formatted clearly in an aesthetically pleasing manner. This is a production that had its audio post-looped, which makes the dialogue being spoken not line up exactly with the actors lips at all times. Dialogue comes through nice and clear, mostly focused on the center channel. The mix does a good job of balancing this information with the overbearing music and sound effects so that nothing ever gets clipped. The music in the film sounds more fleshed out and richer in the surround sound mix. The track renders the moaning zombie sounds in a pleasing manner in the surround channels. The track has some interesting activity in the rear channels that properly conveys the mostly outdoor setting. The low-budget nature of this production does not lend itself to a powerhouse showing in the audio spectrum, but it does well enough. The low end does not get engaged as much as you might expect, even in the more kinetic scenes. These tracks do a capable job of bringing this film to life.
Special Features
The first-pressing of the Arrow Video Blu-Ray of Versus includes a booklet featuring the essay “Of Blood and Sparks: Two Decades with Versus” by author Tom Mes. This essay provides great context to the success of Versus thanks to home video and the enduring legacy of the film. The booklet also includes an extensive interview with writer/director Ryuhei Kitamura by Tom Mes and the piece “How We Made Versus” by Kitamura, both of which offer great insights into the mind of the director . The on-disc special features are as follows:
Disc One
- Audio Commentary #1: Writer/Director Ryuhei Kitamura and producer Keishiro Shin provide a detail-rich commentary track in English without subtitles to supplement the heavier accents. There are many fascinating discussions about the creative decisions in the film, difficult shooting conditions, the gory special effects and much more that is worth listening to.
- Audio Commentary #2: Writer/Director Ryuhei Kitamura and various cast and crew members provide an occasionally chaotic track in Japanese with subtitles. There’s a lot of talking over one another and side conversations, but it does prove to be an exciting listen that offers more random insights that you do not get from the more structured first commentary track.
- Body Slamming Body Horror: A 16-minute visual essay on the career of director Ryuhei Kitamura as presented by Japanese cinema expert Jasper Sharp. The piece begins by taking a look at the surge of Japanese horror content in the US in the early millennium including Ju-On: The Grudge and Battle Royale. Sharp then goes on to dissect the impact of Versus and the ambitious nature of Kitamura from the beginning of his career and beyond. This is filled with invaluable details that help contextualize the career of this unique filmmaker.
- First Contact – Versus Evolution: A ten-minute archival featurette that explores how the project came to be including creating the crazy sword action, casting the film and getting the right crew.
- Tak Sakaguchi’s One-Man Journey: A nearly 15-minute archival featurette in which star Tak Sakaguchi details his 2001 journey to the Japanese Film Festival in Hamburg. He is often very humorous and even unexpectedly has a full-on naked shot of his backside as a visual gag.
- Team Versus: A minute-long look inside the offices of Napalm Films. Just a normal day like another other with punching bag training and brandishing swords.
- Deep In The Woods: A 25-minute archival featurette in which Kitamura and various members of the cast and crew give interviews about their experiences during the production of the film. Kitamura even reveals that he killed a character early in the film just because he did not like the actor that was portraying him. You can tell from watching this that this was made as an act of artistic freedom.
- The Encounter: A 13-minute archival featurette in which editor Shuichi Kakesu is interviewed about his involvement in the construction of Versus. This piece begins with producer Keishiro Shin giving a bit of background information on connecting with Kakesu.
- Deleted Scenes: Nearly 22 minutes of unused material is provided with non-optional commentary from Kitamura and crew. There are some fun, violent moments, but this is for hardcore fans only.
- FF Version: A 20-minute heavily-condensed version of the film, which I guess is fun if you want to watch a violent short film.
- Behind Versus
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- Part One – Birth of a Dark Hero: A 27-minute featurette which covers a lot of the same material as previous supplements with the director and actors discussing the project and specific quirks about their characters.
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- Part Two – Versus the Legend: A 46-minute featurette which Kitamura takes you through stories of the production of the film with some pretty great behind-the-scenes footage. This is bookended by coverage of the film’s release and reception.
- Festival Screenings: Two clips totaling five minutes are provided here which show the cast and crew attending festival screenings of the movie and seeing the rapturous audience reception.
- Versus Side Stories: Two side-stories featuring characters from Versus are provided here.
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- Nervous: A nearly seven-minute mini-film which features an intense, violent interrogation at a “police station.”
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- Nervous 2: A sixteen-minute mini-film which features an interesting series of events outside of a hospital.
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- The Making of Nervous 2: A minute-long featurette which ends up being a bit of a throwaway gag.
- Trailers: This release features various trailers for the film including The Return: Down 2 Hell trailer, the English-language trailer, the Making-Of trailer, the Theatrical trailer and the Promo trailer.
- Image Galleries: A section dedicated to Promotional Stills, Posters, the Japanese Press Book and the Japanese Press Kit.
Disc Two
- Ultimate Versus: The extended 130-minute cut of the movie as described above is given its own disc.
- Audio Commentary: Writer/Director Ryuhei Kitamura and various cast and crew members return to provide a commentary track for the new cut of the film. This is the first time most are seeing this alternate cut, so there are a lot of questions about the process from the cast members.
- Sakigake! Otoko versus Juku: An 18-minute archival piece in which takes a closer look at the new footage that was shot for Ultimate Versus.
Final Thoughts
Versus could be considered a one-trick pony thanks to its reliance on delivering extreme carnage as its primary reason for existing. But, it does this one trick so very well that you cannot really take issue with it. Ryuhei Kitamura is an inventive and ambitious filmmaker that knows how to get the most out of a limited budget. Longtime fans may be irritated at him for tinkering with the aesthetic of the film with this newly restored Blu-Ray, but the results are pretty stunning. Arrow Video has delivered a knockout A/V presentation and an impressively comprehensive assortment of extras. If you are a fan of brutal Japanese action/horror/sci-fi films, this one should be a safe addition to your collection. Recommended
Versus is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Arrow Video has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
