DEAD OR ALIVE 2: BIRDS

Ever the trickster, Takashi Miike’s sequel/remix of his explosive DEAD OR ALIVE—filmed only a few months later—once again casts “V-cinema” (Japanese straight-to-video) badasses Sho Aikawa and Riki Takeuchi, but as new characters. Here, they're rival yakuza assassins who were once childhood friends. After a botched hit, the outlaws flee to the island where they grew up, and devote their deadly skills to a more humanitarian cause.