Dead or Alive: Final (2002)

Takashi Miike's sci-fi spin on his previous Dead or Alive, this one works a little better than that prior film if only because the narrative doesn't grind to a halt after the opening sequence. It echoes, among other films, Blade Runner, THX-1138 and RoboCop but also works on its own psychotic terms. The violence here is plentiful as always (best moment: when the white-suited replicant bicycle-kicks a bullet through a man's head) and the climax, while not as jaw-dropping as part 1's infamous world-ending duel, is appropriately over-the-top. Now when can we see a proper release of Dead or Alive 2: Birds?

Grade: B-