Versus

2-Disc Special Edition

A relentless one-of-a-kind sensory assault chock full of hyper-kinetic fight scenes, gangster shootouts, sword-slashing violence and gory zombie horror, Versus was a key title amongst the barrage of innovative horror and action movies that appeared as if from nowhere from Japan at the turn of the millennium, leading to a new wave of appreciation for Asian extreme cinema.

 

A mysterious face-off in a wooded clearing between two escaped convicts and a carload of sharply dressed yakuza holding a beautiful woman captive ends in hails of bullets and showers of blood. The location for this violent encounter is the mythic Forest of Resurrection, the site of the 444th portal of the 666 hidden gates that link this earthly domain to the netherworld and it didn t get this name for nothing. As one of the surviving prisoners escapes with the girl into the darkness of the forest, disgruntled gangsters soon become the least of their worries as an earlier battle between a lone warrior against hordes of zombie samurai is carried over from a millennium ago into the present day

 

Versus caused a sensation both in Japan and internationally upon its release, launching the careers of director Ryûhei Kitamura (Godzilla Final Wars, Midnight Meat Train) and action star and fight choreographer Tak Sakaguchi (Battlefield Baseball, Yakuza Weapon). Arrow Video is proud to present this mythic cult title in both its original 2000 and expanded 2004 Ultimate Versus iterations, in a brand new, director-approved restoration.

 

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS

 

Brand new 2K restoration from original film elements by Arrow Films, approved by director Ryûhei Kitamura

 

High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentations of both versions of the film: the original 2000 cut and 2004 s Ultimate Versus, featuring over 10 minutes of new and revised footage

 

Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Chris Malbon

DISC 1: VERSUS

 

Original lossless Japanese 5.1 and 2.0 stereo audio and English 2.0 stereo audio

 

Optional English subtitles

 

Audio commentary by Kitamura and producer Keishiro Shin

 

Audio commentary by Kitamura and the cast and crew

 

New visual essay on the career of Kitamura by Japanese cinema expert Jasper Sharp

 

Behind Versus, a two-part behind-the-scenes documentary exploring the film s production

 

First Contact: Versus Evolution, a featurette exploring the film s origins

 

Tak Sakaguchi s One-Man Journey, an archival featurette on the actor s visit to the 2001 Japan Film Festival in Hamburg

 

Film festival screening footage

 

Team Versus, a brief look inside the Napalm Films office

 

Deep in the Woods, an archival featurette featuring interviews with Kitamura, cast and crew

 

The Encounter, an archival interview with editor Shûichi Kakesu

 

Deleted scenes with audio commentary by Kitamura, cast and crew

 

Nervous and Nervous 2, two side story mini-movies featuring characters from the main feature

 

Featurette on the making of Nervous 2

 

Versus FF Version, a condensed, 20-minute recut of the film

 

Multiple trailers

 

Image gallery

DISC 2: ULTIMATE VERSUS

 

Original lossless Japanese 6.1 and 2.0 stereo audio and English 6.1 and 2.0 stereo audio

 

Optional English subtitles

 

Audio commentary by Kitamura, cast and crew

 

Sakigake! Otoko versus Juku, a featurette on the newly shot material for Ultimate Versus

FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Collector's Booklet