Alive (2002)

Alive begins an prisoner Tenshu Yashiro (Hideo Sakaki; Battlefield Baseball, Versus) is led into a vaulted room where 3 men stand watch from an observation window high above a massive electric chair. Tenshu is about to die for murdering a group of men that raped his girlfriend, and also for ultimately murdering her. After he's locked into the chair and the voltage courses through his body, the two guards who led him in unlock the restraints and Tenshu opens his eyes. The director of this "prison facility", Kojima (Jun Kunimura; Vital, Audition, Ichi The Killer) informs him that he's been selected to participate in an experiment of sorts. He agrees and later awakens in an observation room with another "saved" prisoner named Matsuda (Shun Sugata); who's entire life has been a felony. Both are treated like royalty for several days. They're treated to wine & steak dinners, trendy clothing and for Matsuda, gallons of alcohol. All the while, a heard, but yet unseen group have been subtly (and not so subtly) manipulating the room's environment to prepare the inmates to a larger stimuli. After several more days of behavioral testing, with the two nearly killing each other at various points, a large door opens at the far end of the room and an attractive woman stands alone behind a thick, transparent wall. She explains to the men that she's a witch and, to Matsuda in particular, that if one kills the other, he can enter her room. Do the math. What the two prisoners don't know is that the prison is using them as bait to coax a mysterious force called "Isomer" from the woman. The movie progresses into a battle between the group conducting the experiments, the prisoners, the woman, and an outside government agency interested in capturing the "Isomer" for more nefarious purposes.

Kudos to director Ryuhei Kitamura (Versus, Azumi) for his tight, controlled portrayal of part of Tsutomu Takahashi manga series Sky High. I haven't read or seen said manga, but it's apparent that Kitamura had the original work in mind at all times. Highly stylized costumes, action that's purposely and abruptly stopped in careful poses, perfect symmetry in nearly every frame, and deliberate lighting. Hallmarks of the craft. For me, I still prefer the anime cyberpunk to the live-action kind, if any. Alive's themes will be familiar to those who have seen greater works on the arrogance of man or man's folly or attempts to manipulate nature such as Akira and Ghost In The Shell. In the end, Alive neither reaches the same level of intensity nor employs the same kind of vision the others do. It's just too obtuse, to be honest.

Alive is (needlessly?) broken up by chapter markers, such as "Day 3", "Day 9", "The Confrontation", "The Edge", and "Isomer", (to name a few) and takes place almost entirely in a bleak, industrial facility. Watching did became a bit tiresome. Dull and dark, blues, grays and blacks dominate the scenery. Bolster that backdrop with an almost constant techno-ish soundtrack pulsing in the background (at varying volumes) and the ambiance began to wear on me, if not border on annoying. But again, fans of the style with completely get off on those qualities. That's just my take. The final third, as Tenshu nears his fate, is filled with decent special effects, but falls flat with mediocre fight scenes and long-winded explanations of the plot. In fact, Kitamura utilizes these diatribes (almost exclusively) to further a story that would otherwise be too ridiculous or confusing to perpetuate itself. Alive's attraction will ultimately be it's Matrix-esque effects and posturing, outmoded kung-fu action but certainly not it's supposed take on a nihilistic future. For a true dystopian fix, try Blade Runner, Chiaki Konaka's Serial Experiments: Lain, or page thru a book of H. R. Giger's artwork while Godflesh's "Streetcleaner" fills your ears.

Another thing that really bugged me about the entire production was the lack of effort (besides the special effects) that seemed to go into Alive. For the level of quality, there was an endless supply of bonus material on the DVD (2-disc) and the subtitles appeared to have been tacked on as an afterthought. The subtitle thing bothered me the most, as the pacing was way off. Sloppy work indeed. Now that I think about it, I wouldn't be surprised to find that a third party handled them. A brief scene or two on relationships and the power of forgiveness also seem out of place, and carries all the conviction of a cheesy telenovela.