Death Trance

It was good in the sense that it kept you interested somewhat because you are watching it to figure out what in the world is going on. There is no plot, there is no reasoning to what and why things are going on. You don't know what era you're in and you don't know who the characters are and where they are from or why they are there. The movie is a mix of everything. But there is a lot of action but it's nothing to be excited about. You won't love it neither will you hate it, but its a watchable movie. In terms of setting it is almost like Lord of the Rings being that it takes place in a forest but with swords and swords that shoot like guns and one person had a motorbike. The best way I can describe this movie is Lord of the Rings meets Inuyasha meets Zombies meets Vampires, meets Samurai Jack gone completely wrong. LOL, hope that helps!

How can you go wrong with the action director of "Versus" and the star of the movie Tak Sakaguchi, you can with "Death Trance". After watching a trailer on line I hurried as fast as I could to find this movie. Once I got my hands on a copy and started to watch it, I got more and more disappointed. Being a huge fan of "Versus" I was expecting the same over the top crazy action and crazy characters. It was almost like watching a watered down version of "Versus", maybe that is because Kitamura had nothing to do with this film and that is what was missing. Almost the whole movie takes place in the forest, it even looks like the same one from "Versus", and you have your swords, guns, and even near the end zombie-like figures. There was hardly any blood or gore, the action was just OK, nothing special, and the acting was pretty weak I thought. Tak fights throughout the movie with his sword in its sheath because "Killing is no fun"? What?! Please Tak tell me they paid you a lot of money to say that. So most of the time you are just watching him bop people over the head with his sheathed sword. For a story to seem to have so much history and background behind it, we almost get no information on what is going on and why characters are doing what they are doing, even when they do try to explain, you could care less. The characters are poorly developed and the ending is pretty abrupt and feels like it shouldn't end. I really can't recommend this film to anyone, I know most "Versus" fans will try to watch this, but I hate to say that you will probably be disappointed.

I think this movie was really great. First of all, unlike the previous comment, I love both Versus and Death Trance. Unlike him I realize Death Trance is NOT Versus 2, it is a completely different movie with its own plot, which I found highly interesting. Both are action movies and both contain unique plots, but in Death Trance there is not nearly as much gore.

The thing that hooked me was the visuals of this movie. It is highly stylized. The costumes especially are amazing. And yes, there is also a ton of action but not much gore, which I guess if that is all you are looking for don't check this movie out.

I really don't want to give anything away because I think it is definitely worth checking out. So if you like an interesting story line, some over-the-top action (minus ungodly amounts of blood), amazing visuals, an obscenely awesome soundtrack (it's all Dir en Grey-good stuff), and one hardcore actor (haha, what can I say, Tak Sakaguchi is bad ass) then you should probably get a hold of this film. enjoy ;)

The hero drags a coffin behind him, an overwhelming number of enemies attack him, but only when the coffin is opened, hell really breaks loose... sounds like the summary for "Django" with Franco Nero, but actually it's "Death Trance" with Tak Sakaguchi. This rare coffin motif is something that will make you remember a movie which otherwise is fun, but not outstanding. Lots of fight scenes in a fantasy world where sticks and swords meet guns, motor bikes and an ultra-cool rocket launcher. Calling it a "historical costume movie" as its star did in an interview is not quite true, but few in the audience will care about history as long as it is fun. And it sometimes really is, e.g. when Grave (Sakaguchi) enters a "saloon" followed by a maybe 6 year old girl, orders a big glass of milk for himself - while the child drinks a whiskey. Or when Grave kills vampires by biting their necks in turn. No grave yet for Grave. Don't expect a masterpiece as "Death Trance" hasn't got the depth. Still worth a look if you like such kind of things.

I personally enjoyed this movie a lot. The best way to look at it is to go in with expectations of watching something basically the same as Versus. Don't expect some great story, because its non-too deep, however it does keep you entertained and interested. The action scenes are once again amazing, thanks to Tak and Yuji, both great at what they do. Any major fan of Tak will love this movie. Also, I have to say the ending is quite entertaining and original. Plus the soundtrack adds a good affect, since its pretty much ALL Dir en grey songs. It includes the new single "CLEVER SLEAZOID" by them, which goes along very great with the film. In all, any fan of Kitamura or fans of Asian cinema should enjoy this film, if only for a fun flick.