DOA: Dead or Alive
             
Director: Corey Yuen
Year: 2006
Rating: 6.0
This should come with a warning. This may kill brain cells if watched seriously. If not, then it is kind of fun. Think of it being like Charlie's Angels except stupider and with the girls in bikinis more often. And four of them. This is proof positive that Corey Yuen who directs was a genius. There is not much he can do about the plot that came from a bunch of adolescent gamers sitting around smoking pot - but even with the obvious intense use of wires, the action choreography looks pretty good. A lot of it borrowed from his Hong Kong days but put to good use. While watching this, I couldn't help but think what a classic this would have been if he had Yukari Oshima, Michiko Nishiwaki, Moon Lee and Kara Hui as his four females. There are some pretty good action scenes if you were able to take them seriously such as one of them taking out a large group of ninjas on the steps - or a classic bamboo forest duel or running across the backs of an army of men to escape. Pure Hong Kong.

 

Corey of course did have his chance in Hong Kong with the 2002 film, So Close, also with three female action figures and a favorite of mine.  But with Devon Aoki, Holly Valance, Sarah Carter, Jaime Pressly it is hard to feel invested because you know it is all edits, wires and angles that make them look like they know what they are doing. Still, putting that aside this is goofy fun - the girls along with Natassia Malthe are enough eye candy to fill a Halloween store. It is all about the Male Gaze and I still have eyes if little else.

 

The viewer is introduced to the four characters - Devon is a Japanese Princess of a Clan living in a castle compound larger than Shea Stadium and the other three are all blonde and I can't tell them apart - but one is a wrestler, another a thief and assassin and the fourth the daughter of a man who ran a tournament. Natassia is a ninja sent to kill Devon for becoming a Shinobi - an outcast. They all get invitations to participate in a martial arts tournament with a ten-million-dollar prize. It takes place on an island (shot in Thailand I think) with a giant Buddha and a monastery. When they aren't fighting the girls take baths with roses, get cozy with some of the male participants, play volleyball - in bikinis if at all possible. That is not a complaint. Just an observation.

 

The contest is being run by Eric Roberts looking like a surfer dude left in the sun too long. Being Roberts at his sleaziest, you know he is up to no good, There are three real martial artists in this - poor Robin Shou as a pirate gets his ass kicked twice by one of the girls (I hope he was well-paid for that), Kane Kosugi is another one of the Clan who is invited to the tournament and then there is Ngai Sing credited as Collin Chou his English name who has had some wonderful martial arts match-ups in Hong Kong films. Even having him fight a super-charged Roberts felt like a slight. Pretty girls, roses and lots of wire-fu.