Shinjuku Incident

Directed by: Derek Yee

Starring: Jackie Chan, Daniel Wu, Naoto Takenaka, Lam Suet, Jinglei Xu

Synopsis:

Two rural Chinese villagers, the dependable tough guy 'Steelhead' and the naive shy 'Jie' smuggle themselves to Japan on a container ship searching for a better life and Steelhead's lifelong crush Xiu Xiu, who has disappeared after moving to Japan a year previously. Once in Tokyo, the pair find themselves struggling to survive working for illegal labour bosses doing the worst kind of dangerous manual labour.

A chance meeting with another illegal, the excitable 'Hong Kong Boy', brings them into contact with some low level Chinese street Hoodlums. Steelhead quickly proves his reliability and courage and it is not long before he has gathered a crew of fellow Chinese together, and is moving up into petty street crime. The rest of the film follows Steelhead and the gang's rise and the inevitable collision course with the Yakuza.

Produced by and starring Jackie Chan and portraying life in the Chinese Illegal immigrant community in nineties Japan, Shinjuku Incident is a film with some stark messages about the exploitation of illegal immigrants at it's core. The film is often shockingly brutal in its depiction of gang fighting and punishment, and the inflexible codes of honour that exist to protect the various groups fighting for supremacy are what so obviously leads to the conflict and violence.

The film sets the story of Steelhead's love and need for Xiu Xiu and the loyalty that exists between the gang members against scenes of criminality and hate skillfully.

The narrative is fast and artfully realised. One situation leads believably to the next and the changes brought about on the characters are almost all honest and valid. (An exception to my mind would be quite near the end of the film where a major character comes so totally off the rails complete with comedy villain wardrobe change that it is difficult to understand or buy into).

The actors, taking their lead from a masterful Chan, give everything to a fluid script and some striking fight scenes. Derek Yee's direction takes a very claustrophobic approach. Conference scenes between the Yakuza, and street scenes with Steelheads gang are shot in the jerky mobile style so loved by American cop dramas which aims to put us behind the eyes of the characters. Even some of the key action sequences are mid to close up creating a frenetic but never confusing feel.

The visual aspects of ShinJuku life are carefully realised, and the streets and bars are alive with detail.

Overall this film is an enthralling drama, perhaps a little over-long towards the end, and some of the Yakuza infighting seems irrelevant to the advancement of the actual story. Steelhead's scenes with the Love of his life are high points in terms of dramatic acting and tension, but some character incomnsistencies in the final act do jar a little.

Verdict:

Personally I found more to enjoy and be intrigued by than to pick at, and would recommend to those who enjoy lengthy gangster biopics, with shocking action, such as Paris Lockdown.

6 Out of 10 (Sulaco)