San suk si gin (2009)

A simple Chinese immigrant wages a perilous war against one of the most powerful criminal organizations on the planet.

Director:

Tung-Shing Yee

Writers:

Tung-Shing Yee, Tin Nam Chun

Stars:

Jackie Chan, Naoto Takenaka, Daniel Wu

1 win & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jackie Chan	...	Steelhead
Naoto Takenaka	...	Inspector Kitano
Daniel Wu	...	Jie
Jinglei Xu	...	Xiu Xiu / Yuko Eguchi (as Xu Jing Lei)
Masaya Katô	...	Toshinari Eguchi
Bingbing Fan	...	Lily (as Fan Bing Bing)
Tôru Minegishi	...	Koichi Muranishi
Kenya Sawada	...	Nakajima (as Kenya)
Jack Kao	...	Gao Jie
Paul Chun	...	Uncle De
Suet Lam	...	Old Ghost
Hiroyuki Nagato	...	Hara Ooda
Yasuaki Kurata	...	Taro Watagawa
Kar Lok Chin	...	Hongkie (as Chin Ka Lok)
Ken Lo	...	Little Tai (as Kenneth Low)

Storyline

In China, the poor worker Tietou repairs tractors and misses his sweetheart Xiu Xiu, back in Japan, she having never sent any news to her family or him. While illegally emigrating to Japan, Tietou loses his Chinese documents and so cannot return to his country. He is welcomed by his countrymen who lodge and work in Shinjuku where they also help him to find illegal work. While running from a police raid through the sewage system where Chinese are illegally working, Tietou saves Inspector Kitano from drowning in the dirty water. Later, after an incident with his cousin, Joe, and a Taiwan gang, Tietou saves the powerful Yakuza boss Toshinari Eguchi. He is the husband of Xiu Xiu, who is now called Yuko and are parents of a little daughter. The mobster offers a dirty job to Tietou; in retribution, he promises to deliver the quarter dominated by the Taiwan gang to him. Tietou becomes the boss of the Chinese illegal immigrants. But his peaceful methods make him unpopular and Tietou starts to...

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Plot Keywords:

gratitude | chinese | gang | japan | immigrant | 

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Taglines:

They destroyed his life... Now he'll destroy them all.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for graphic violence, brief sexuality and drug use

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Hong Kong] Official site [Japan]

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Mandarin Japanese Cantonese English Min Nan Hokkien

Release Date:

2 April 2009 (Hong Kong)

Also Known As:

Jackie Chan in Shinjuku Incident

Filming Locations:

China

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Emperor Dragon Movies

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie was originally to be released on September 25, 2008, but was delayed because of resistance from the Beijing government.

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Goofs

Jackie Chan's character's name, Tie Tou, is translated as "Steelhead", but the literal translation should be iron head.

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Alternate Versions

Hong Kong theatrical version was cut to secure a Cat IIB rating. DVD release is uncut with a Cat III rating.

User Reviews

Harsh and realistic depiction of society's underbelly

Jackie Chan's darkest film yet is a quality piece of drama exploring life within Japan's Yakuza gangs. It's a very atypical film for the star, better known these days for his kid-friendly fare in American family films. For fans of Asian thrillers, the gangster elements will be largely familiar, but they're introduced in a novel and interesting way; it's the first film I've seen detailing the plight of Chinese refugee immigrants in Japan.

The twisty-turny plot offers up many twists that are difficult to predict, and the on-screen action is never less than interesting. Jackie gets the opportunity to focus on his acting rather than his martial arts for a change, and he shines as the conflicted farmhand-turned-gangster. Although this isn't an action film per se, there are many memorable set-pieces, not least a large-scale climax that makes for riveting entertainment.

The film's well-shot, if a little dark, and features decent turns from actors in supporting roles (Japanese actors Naoto Takenaka and Masaya Kato are both excellent). Daniel Wu's character in the film undergoes a particularly frightening and believable transformation. The scenes of violence and torture may not be for every viewer's taste, but THE SHINJUKU INCIDENT is a rewarding experience for those viewers exploring Jackie's progression as an actor.