Returner (2002)
"Ritânâ" (original title)

A young woman from the future forces a local gunman to help her stop an impending alien invasion which will wipe out the human race.

Director:

Takashi Yamazaki

Writers:

Kenya Hirata, Takashi Yamazaki

Stars:

Takeshi Kaneshiro, Anne Suzuki, Kirin Kiki

2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Takeshi Kaneshiro	...	Miyamoto
Anne Suzuki	...	Milly
Kirin Kiki	...	Xie
Gorô Kishitani	...	Mizoguchi
Yukiko Okamoto	...	Dr. Yagi
Mitsuru Murata	...	Mizoguchi's Henchman
Kisuke Iida	...	Karasawa, Mizoguchi's Henchman
Kazuya Shimizu	...	Murakami, Mizoguchi's Henchman
Chiharu Kawai	...	Liu's Interpreter
Dean Harrington	...	Dr. Brown
Xiaoqun Zhao	...	Slave Merchant
Masaya Takahashi	...	Liu Laoban, Chinese Godfather
Kenji Motomiya	...	Mizoguchi's Henchman
Hoshi Ishida
Misako Nagashima

Storyline

After an alien invasion threatens to annihilate the human race, a young Japanese girl, named Milly (Anne Suzuki), travels back in time from 2084 to October 2002, and enlists the reluctant aid of skilled Tokyo gunman, named Miyamoto (Takeshi Kaneshiro), to discover and prevent the start of the war. However, trouble ensues when the two protagonists are forced to deal with a Japanese mafia boss, named Mizoguchi (Goro Kishitani), who is somehow involved in the start of the war by keeping the first alien spaceship and its alien pilot captive, while our two heroes race against the clock to find a way to stop the oncoming destruction from the vengeance-seeking alien invasion fleet on its way to Earth.

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Plot Keywords:

alien | alien invasion | future | murder | shot in the head | 

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Taglines:

The future is history.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan] Sony Pictures [United States]

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese English Mandarin

Release Date:

31 August 2002 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Returner

Filming Locations:

Himeji, Japan

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$29,214 (USA) (17 October 2003)

Gross:

$69,886 (USA) (31 October 2003)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Amuse, Fuji Television Network, Imagica Corp.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The handgun Milly uses through out the movie is a Walther P99.

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Goofs

During the highway chase when the car is blown into the air and falls back down, the cable that was used by the crane to lift the car up into the air so they could drop it again is visible as the vehicle crashes to the ground.

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Quotes

Xie: Humans are good at lying. Especially guilty ones.

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Connections

References Independence Day (1996)

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Soundtracks

"Dig In"
Performed by Lenny Kravitz

User Reviews

Combo of Red Bull and speed

I know that I will definitely have to see this film again. Japanese movies are getting that sleek futuristic look and Returner is chock full of it. Although I have to admit, there seem to be a lot of "homages" ranging from Matrix, Men in Black to Fifth Element, X-Files and so on. Still, it's an action packed with cool style to boot.

The main hero and butt whooping babe work well together. From martial arts, lasers, guns, explosions, action scenes are so rapid that you're left blinking in awe. I definitely think towards the final 30 minutes, it does seem to go on a tangent and a friend and I were trying to piece together what we could and keep up. The CG is used well in enhancing the style of the film, especially the futuristic technology stuff.

If possible, catch this in the theater or on a good home system and you won't be disappointed.