Death Trance [Blu-ray] Blu-ray – Widescreen, July 14, 2009

Even in my house, this film gets mixed reviews. My husband found it mediocre. He walked away with a puzzled sense of incompletion, while I'm left wanting to chew over metaphor, color, design. I loved it.Maybe it has to do with what you're looking for. Great acting? Not really. Tak Sakaguchi is gorgeous, but seems fairly stiff. He doesn't stray far here from his role in _Versus_ (which I also loved.) Great plot? Not if what you're looking for is a traditional, linear story. Familiarity with Japanese mysticism could help; the writers presume a certain knowledge base that many western viewers will lack. But more than that, they allow viewers to interpret elements on their own...or not. My husband saw meaningless distraction in the emphasis on hunger; I saw metaphor, pointing to an insatiable appetite of a different kind. The cyclical plot made sense to me in the context of reincarnation/rebirth.I think the plot as given is a template; you can use the little details dropped through the story to build something grander for yourself...but you don't have to, because arguably the story isn't the point. This film is much about style over substance. It's all sensation--sounds, visuals, movement. Sometimes it's heavy-handed and clumsy, yes, but on balance it does an excellent job. It's like an early Mark Romanek video, "Closer" with martial arts. Set design, color and costume are at least as important as dialogue. Composition is striking, but organic. Why are these women dressed like that? Who cares? In the universe of _Death Trance_, they belong!A lot of different influences seem to have gone into this production. The director and star share a deep love of traditional Japanese set pieces, the "jidaigeki" epitomized to Western audiences in the work of Akira Kurosawa. (Trivia: George Lucas cobbled the word "jedi" out of the name of this genre). In the "making of" documentary on the disc, both discuss their desire to update the form with the inclusion of modern (but highly stylized) weaponry. George Miller's _Mad Max_ seems to have played some part in informing the aesthetic of the film, as far as some of the costuming at least. Even the "spaghetti western" makes an appearance, with Grave a post-apocalyptic Django hauling his coffin of death behind him.I found the movie tremendous fun. For the most part bloodlessly violent (ENDLESSLY violent), it was an adrenaline release with just enough suggestion of more to set fire to my imagination. I recognize it won't suit all tastes (didn't suit the husband's), but I will certainly be recommending it to my friends. And watching it with them, when I can.

Hey everyone, I just finished watching the blu-ray. I had already seen the film previously on DVD which I enjoyed so I had to pick up this versionPicture Quality - 5/5The film is naturally a bit grainy but that adds to the feel of the film. The blu-ray really helps bring the colors and scenery of the film out. Everything looks much more crisp and it really helps with telling whose who during those big fight scenes.Sound Quality - 5/5I was incredibly impressed with the sound in this film. The music fits perfectly with the fight scenes. I will admit that the dialogue is a bit quiet for how loud the action scenes are. The dubbing in this film is top notch. I should add that the monk is played by Johnny Young Bosch. Don't worry though, he really pulls is off. I should also add that if you're a fan of Dir en Grey(like myself) You'll love this film as they compose the entire soundtrack.Movie - 5/5This is a really difficult film to rate the story for because it's really one of those "figure it out as you go along" type of films. So if I go into too much depth I will spoil something. The main character in the film is a man named Grave played by Tak Sakaguchi of Versus fame. In this film he plays more of an anti-hero type role and has longer hair. I actually much prefered his character in this in comparison to Versus.The movie takes place in a bleak future. Although to say that it's a post-apocolyptic movie is misleading. It has a very Japanese feel to it, and there is a high chance you will find it very different compared to its Hollywood counter parts. As another reviewer mentioned, having some knowledge of Japanese lore helps with understanding the film.The fight scenes are the biggest part of the film and contain hand to hand combat, sword combat, and shooting. The majority of the film consists of fighting with bits of story inbetween to guide you through to the conclusion.I can't say much more about the film without spoilering anything. If you read my review however, and it peaked your interest, I definately recommend giving this film a chance as you will almost certainly not be disappointed.

Zu Death Trance-Versus II fällt mir eigentlich nur ein, das es nicht nur was fürs Auge ist, sondern auch was für die Ohren....Dir en Greys Soundtack untermalt das gesamte Filmwerk einfach nur unglaublich gut!!!Wer ein Fan Asiatischer Fantasy Filme ist, ist dieser ein muss...Grade auch für jeden Dir en Grey Fan....Kurze Empfehlung, Film schauen!!!!!

... und seine Perlen ...Immer wieder schön, dass es ein Label gibt, dass sich nicht nur um Mainstream kümmert, sondern für den deutschen Interessierten, besondere Filme an Land zieht und rausbringt!Den Film selbst rezensiere ich hier aber nicht - das hat Amazon (oder einschlägige Film-Seiten im Netz) bzw. haben diverse weitere Käufer schon getan :-)

GEIL Top Arbeit und die Hintergrund musik ist von Dir En GreyDie Schauspieler sind auch richtig Witzigwünschte aber es gäbe noch einen zweiten Teil hasse offene Enden