Returner (2002)

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, Gorô Kishitani

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
Mitsu Murata	...	Mizoguchi's Henchman
Kisuke Iida	...	Mizoguchi's Henchman
Kazuya Shimizu	...	Mizoguchi's Henchman
Chiharu Kawai	...	Liu's Interpreter
Dean Harrington	...	Dr. Brown
Xiaoqun Zhao	...	Slave Merchant
Masaya Takahashi	...	Liu Laoban
Kenji Motomiya	...	Mizoguchi's Henchman
Hôshi Ishida	...	Shifan (as Hoshi Ishida)
Misako Nagashima

Storyline

In 2084, the mankind is near total annihilation by alien invaders. Milly, a young woman from the Earth resistance, uses a time machine and returns to October, 2002, trying to avoid the beginning of alien invasion and the war. In her arrival in a ship, she is rescued and saved from the Yakuza evil boss Mizoguchi by a hit-man called Miyamot. Using unconventional methods, Milly forces Miyamoto to help her to save the human race.

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Plot Keywords:

hitman | alien | time traveler | time travel | post apocalypse | 

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Taglines:

The fate of the world is a matter of time.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence

Details

Official Sites:

YouTube - trailer #1 [HD] (Flash) (English)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese English Mandarin

Release Date:

31 August 2002 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Returner

Filming Locations:

Himeji, Japan

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$29,214, 19 October 2003, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$69,886, 2 November 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

A Good Japanese Sci-Fi Adventure

In 2084, the mankind is near total annihilation by alien invaders. Milly (Anne Suzuki), a young woman from the Earth resistance, uses a time machine and returns to October, 2002, trying to avoid the beginning of alien invasion and the war. In her arrival in a ship, she is rescued and saved from the Yakuza evil boss Mizoguchi (Goro Kishitani) by a hit-man called Miyamoto (Takeshi Kaneshiro). Using unconventional methods, Milly forces Miyamoto to help her to save the human race.

"The Returner" is a good surprise: the story uses many elements of "The Matrix" (the shootings, the costume of Miyamoto), "Clockstoppers" (the apparatus that makes time stand quite still), "The Terminator" (the traveling back in time to save the human race) and even "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" (an alien that wants to return home). However, although having some flaws in the story (as usual, when dealing with time travel), it is a great entertainment. The chemistry between the beautiful Anne Suzuki and Takeshi Kaneshiro is excellent, and Goro Kishitani is a great villain. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Retorno" ("The Return")