MovieChat Forums > Dead or Alive: Hanzaisha (1999) Discussion > Question about the ending. (SPOILERS, SP...

Question about the ending. (SPOILERS, SPOILERS)

posted 20 years ago by deadperson5
58 replies | jump to latest

Wow, man, I sweard to god I never saw THAT coming. But I totally misunderstood what this bizarre, twisted ending thrown in was all about. Dead Or Alive wasn't labelled at all as having supernatural undertones and at the end, WHERE on Earth did that come from? I saw the leading gangster Ryuuichi on a violent, confrontational battle with the Detective Jojima and what happened there. It's not explained at all how, but SOMEHOW Jojima gets a grenade launcher stuck in the back of his blazer, he pulls it out, then Ryuuichi looking as if he is about to DIE (!!!) pulls out a laser heart, throws it at Jojima, then Jojima shoots it down and at the end (which isn't explained), the major population of Japan seems to be wiped out by a nuclear explosion. Has anyone got any interpretations on this ending? Is it just some hallucinary vision that was seen by 2 main rival enemies as they were dying, or did the director Takashi Miike make the ending EXACTLY as it seems, a supernatural element thrown in to "please" the audience. My thoughts are: It was a supernatural sequence that was filmed by Miike in order to ensure the film reaches a wider audience and gains a better reputation, to get all the intellectuals analysing & audience talking about the movie all across the world. What are your opinions? Please explain. Thanks!

I admire ALL the great things in life and HATE ALL the bad ones!

[–] Wilander 20 years ago

The ending is an absolute metaphor. these two men have basically lost their worlds, they're the only meaningful things left to inhabit their live's wastelands. So when they die, it's only natural the the world dies to!
Hope that helps.

"My sneakers are squeaky"

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[–] jcreighan 19 years ago

>>1) "Necessary Evils" - a pandering look at the way mob violence is depicted in pulp cinema. Scenes of excessive consumption and violence presented mockingly as "cool" entertainment. A clear (and biting) parody of Woo/Tarantino-style "gangster chic".
<<

Then that would be hypocrisy, as that "gangster chic" labels the majority of Miike's films.
He's said numerous times that his biggest goal is to have fun, and to let in the audience in on that fun.

[–] i-ron 20 years ago

you're all reading too much into it, its just mad japanese crazieness, but it is mint!!

[–] jozga 20 years ago

I think on the DVD it mentions that the hero and the villian are such major stars in Japan that no-one could really come up with an ending that would be satisfactory for everyones fans, so they just decided to go utterly over the top.

Kind of like when De Niro and Pacino square off in Heat, the climax of that film was dissapointing 'cos you don't want either of them to lose... if you see what I mean

[–] theman1101 20 years ago

If you want to interpret it metaphorically you might say that the sequence is an outrageous representation of humanity's self-destructive nature. It's completely insane, but so are the actions of people who are in conflict with one another...it's just totally senseless.
It's much more fun, however, to take it literally. A guy pulls a rocket launcher from his shoulder, the world blows up. The end.

[–] goose749 20 years ago

Actually, in the DVD interview Miike says that the reason he could have such an ending is because Sho Aikawa and Riki Takeuchi were both top stars in the made-for-video movie market in Japan (which is becoming more mainstream than the cinema movie market) prior to making DOA. As this was the first movie in which they costar, Miike felt he could take a few more liberties with the film, and still break budget.

[–] ThrillzillA 20 years ago

Another weird thing that was easily overlooked is when the car explodes and the car flips up, one of the mob guys throws a knife at the car. It actually hits Jojima. And also Jojima surviving the car explosion, hehe.

About the ending, in the interview that was on the dvd Takashi Miike tells about he was angry at the production company, they wanted to make a straight to tv/ video movie. Then Takashi Miike wanted to make a movie filled with gore, sex, violence including a... weird ending. He wanted to see how far he could go.Also he wanted to make a movie that could make or break his career. Still the ending was great entertainment:D

[–] aggierahul 20 years ago

I guess the ending ruined the entire movie for me. I just could not get over the fact a "plasma" ball was thrown and that Jojima survived the car crash.

[–] visualsynergy 20 years ago

I think there might be a real explanation for what happened at the end. Remember the conversation Riki's men have in the car early in the movie-

"Me, I want to make people happy, recently I've begun to feel this electricity from deep space."
"In 5 years time, I'll be a god"

[–] visualsynergy 20 years ago

bump

[–] MagnusVulture 20 years ago

hmm conedust, youre explaination is very interesting. if thats true, it would seem to suggest again to me that miike is very influenced by anime, especially neon genesis evangelion, which, as i understand, basically started the metaphorical-dream-apocalypse genre in most of Japanese culture, or at least revived it. that was kinda a joke.

i saw that a lot in audition too, more cinematography and editing wise.

if thats true, what is the basis for dead or alive:final (which i have not seen)?

sho aikawa and riki takeuchi are back but in apparently different characters, and im guessing a similar thing happens at the end.

did anybody else feel the ending was fitting though? the movie was so weird throughout, a lot of people seem to think the middle section was boring but there were many strange things, the dog being masturbated for the bestiality shoot, ryuichis girlfriend being killed, the graveyard scenes, and ryuichis brothers death, when hes shot and apparently the bullet goes through him but there are no entry or exit tears in his shirt. i thought the ending was appropriate, i didnt see it coming at all and i dont understand it but it makes sense as a whole, something to top the first ten minutes and the middle.

in the end, i love how miike sparks these debates by showing ambiguous material. the movie was great anyway.

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[–] dasprofezzional 19 years ago

Any way you take it, the ending was not supposed to be real or plausible at all. Everybody's just gotta accept that one. Whether you take it seriously as social comment on the destructiveness of violence or as just some crrrrrrrrrrrrrrazy random ending to the movie, it was NOT supposed to look real. So stop criticizing Miike for putting in an unrealistic ending. He probably didn't expect a handful of stupid Americans to actually question the possibility of one man pulling a rocket launcher out of his spine and another extracting a ball of energy from his chest cavity.

If you watch DOA 2, you'll see there's more stuff like this, clearly meant to be unrealistic. Until then, stop questioning film reality and go find a girlfriend.

[–] JimmyLoneWolf 19 years ago

I think the ending is nihilistic in every sense of the word. Notice there was ANOTHER flipped vehicle in that field at the end, FAR from the immediate action. This "field" is clearly a place where this sort of thing is "normal." Almost a netherworld of spiritual confrontation (very much like in Pokemon and other animes actually). Did anyone else notice that the dirt road also seemed to glow orange after Jojimo gets out of the destroyed car? If it was merely a coincidence it was a brilliantly incorporated bit of divine intervention.

This film is fantastic. Disgusting at times, but magnificent nonetheless. The ending is one of the most inspired things I've seen in a long time. I'm reminded of that Clash song "Police and Thieves" everytime I watch it. Miike seems to indicte that inappropriate societal conflict (ie thieves against Yakuza) and (conversly) inappropriate societal cooperation (Jojima working off a paid tip from Yakuza) between factions upsets the "balance" constantly referenced throughout the film. He seems to argue the point that such escalating conflicts will eventually escalate to a point where ALL of society is annihilated.

That Japan is completely destroyed because of these mens LOVE and PASSION for their "families" is the reason I personally feel Miike is depicting a nihilistic perspective here. The desire to "protect our own" will one day destroy us all. But yet we're human, and its in our nature to do so. Miike depicts the final showdown with such joyous apblomb that we can help but cheer as both of these men stagger to their feet for the last time. We respect them for their dedication, however destructive. Perhaps THAT is what Miike is saying, that violence will always be tolerated as long as we have causes (and PEOPLE) to fight for. When those people go away or are destroyed, the world ends.

And yet I can't help but picture Miike giggling at the serious pronouncement I've just made. The ending is, after all, pure hilarity (and a clear indication that this film is influenced by anime almost as much as the anime in Tarantino's Kill Bill is influenced by this film). But regardless of Miike's irreverant approach, genuine meaning CAN INDEED be derived from this film. Its not mere sensationalism in any sense.

I believe everyone's points are excellent by the way. Now you have one more. If it seems like I've borrowed a bit from some previous points its because I believe analysis works best from a "building" perspective rather than a "vs." perspective (ironic considering the topic we are discussing). It is indeed possible to consolidate everyone's opinions into a grand "statement" about the film...but first we need EVERYONE's opinion. So keep posting!!!

[–] triple-threat_hyphenate 20 years ago

I heard somewhere that Miike thought Dead or Alive was going straight to video, and no one would care about the ending because no one was going to see it, so he just went as surreal as possible.

[–] davidpenzer 20 years ago

Why do you all think that the ending is meant to be some kind of a metamorphor? The rest of the plot isn't deep and it doesn't have any other qualities either for that matter. So why don't you take it for what it is - a terrible, completely unrealistic finish with special effects that looked plain awful. It was so bad it made me laugh.

Man I can't believe this movie has a 7,0 rating. The movie was maybe not terrible, but still pretty bad and ending was by far the worst I've ever seen.

You all seem to love this flick so I'm ready for your hatred guys ;)

And one more thing, explain to me why this movie is so good, I'm really interested.

Don't adjust your television set, I am this good looking.

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[–] TheTarman 19 years ago

The whole ending was awesome. I don't think it meant anything, it was just weird for the sake of being weird. And to the user who said he did the ending because he thought it would go straight to video, the movie was made as a v-movie in the first place.

"If you want to shoot, then shoot. Don't talk"

[–] davidpenzer 19 years ago

goosecock

Oh my goodness, how old are you? 10? You know this is a message board and it is used for expressing opinions whether they are positive or negative. Get that through your head.

I thought the movie sucked ass and the ending was a joke. I listen to what others have to say but I could care less about your pathetic insults. Grow up.

Ok, everyone. We've got a moron in here.

[–] jozga 19 years ago

"Why do you all think that the ending is meant to be some kind of a metamorphor?"

I'm pretty sure no-one here apart from you thinks the ending is a metamorphor.

[–] primeman 19 years ago

During the movie i noticed Ryuuichi got more and more red and at the end he looked like the devil. Then he pulled and threw a fire ball like a daemon. I thought it was a good vs evil thing.

[–] flyinghigh21 19 years ago

I sure as hell don't see a metamorphor. Was a metamorphor behind someone getting drowned in their own *beep*? Hardly. Just shock and "awe."

That said, there's only one clear cut answer to "What the hell is this ending supposed to mean?": Opium. Lots, and lots of opium. That's what the script writers were doing. They made an excellent Yakuza/Police drama/action story, got REALLY *beep* HIGH, and realize they needed to end the movie. Chasing the Dragon does strange things, like make you write about people reaching into their chest and pulling a *beep* orb of red death out of nowhere and chucking at your opponent.

The ending was window dressing. Pay no attention to it when you have 90 minutes of a good film with 2 1/2 minutes of proof to why drugs and literature do NOT mix.

Antartica:Barren::Star Wars New Saga:Void of Entertainment

[–] antiheroripper 19 years ago

I dont know if anyone posted this yet because I dont want to read all those previous posts, but this ending wasnt intended to be put in the movie. What I heard somewhere is that Miike wasnt even there when they filmed it. It was just a strange side thing they filmed. Miike saw the footage and liked it so he stuck it in the film at the last minute. I am so glad he did.

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[–] caina 18 years ago

I didn't look at the ending as metaphoric at all. I saw the entire movie as:

Opening sequence: something to knock the wind out of you and leave you unable to be put off by further insanity

Bulk of movie: a complex plot that is fairly generic, with the purpose of drawing the audience into the story before the ending

Ending: A completely over the top scene meant to be cathartic in a comic fashion.

If you didn't like, I'm guessing here, you saw it alone or with a small group, and no one really laughed. It was hilarious, unless you took it/yourself too seriously to kick back and laugh at the absurd insanity of the ending. I saw it in theaters, a few people scoffed as the car explosion was survived, a lot of the audience started laughing when the rocket launcher was pulled, and everyone was busting a gut when the credits started rolling. Much clapping, which is unusual for that theater (in the puritanical north east).

Why was it good? It was hilarious/in your face and it was completely different from most movies.

[–] 20 years ago

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[–] juansinanos 19 years ago

see Chan-wook Park's Old Boy

[–] Papa-Lazarou 19 years ago

dmitriyaz, go see, Bird People in China, it's not a violent film, but still one of Miike's best films. I also enjoyed Rainy Dog very much, again not that violent but a very nice film. Too bad you didn't like Dead or Alive that much, cause part 2 is a real killer, it goes even further over the top than where part one ended. Oh, and Fudoh: next generation is a good yakazu film. But then again I haven't seen any film by Miike that let me down, I even thought Happines of the Katakuris was fun to watch, and that's a no-budget comedy/horror/musical.

[–] jimmyboblw 19 years ago

This film was okay. I wansn't really put off by the sex or violence or any of that stuff, but I kind of found the movie predictable... until the end that is. There was no way I would have seen that coming, and when the credits rolled, I just laughed my ass off.

It wasn't really an ending out of left-field... it was more of an ending that climbed over the left-field wall, ran across the field and proceeded to beat the pitcher to death with a polo mallet.

Jus' my opinion.

[–] 19 years ago

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[–] christ-on-a-crutch 19 years ago

i thought the ending was funny as hell! I laughed like crazy.

"play that song again and go to hell when you die"