Shinjuku Incident

Not to be confused with the Shibuya incident a 1946 turf war between rival gangs.

Shinjuku Incident
Hong Kong film poster
Traditional	新宿事件
Simplified	新宿事件
Mandarin	Xīn Sù Shì Jiàn
Cantonese	San1 Suk1 Si6 Gin2
Directed by	Derek Yee
Produced by	Jackie Chan Willie Chan Solon So
Written by	Derek Yee Chun Tin-nam
Starring	Jackie Chan Naoto Takenaka Daniel Wu Xu Jinglei Fan Bingbing Masaya Kato Ken Lo
Music by	Peter Kam
Cinematography	Kita Nobayasu
Editing by	Kong Chi-leung Cheung Ka-fai
Distributed by	JCE Movies Limited
Release date(s)	2 April 2009 (2009-04-02)
Running time	119 minutes
Country	Hong Kong
Language	Mandarin Cantonese Japanese Hokkien
Budget	US$25 million
Gross revenue	HK $13,968,956

Shinjuku Incident (Chinese: 新宿事件; Mandarin Pinyin: Xīn Sù Shì Jiàn; Jyutping: San1 Suk1 Si6 Gin2, Japanese: 新宿インシデント) is a 2009 Hong Kong action crime drama thriller film written and directed by Derek Yee, and also produced by and starring Jackie Chan. The film was distributed by Chan's own film company, JCE Movies Limited.

It was stated in many press reports that the genre of the film would be closer to drama, Film director Derek Yee said, "People are too familiar with the image of a fighting Jackie Chan. It's time for him to move on to drama." In a recent interview, Chan himself describes the film as, "maybe one percent action. Heavy drama."

The film was originally to be released on 25 September 2008 but was delayed to the first quarter of 2009. It premiered at the 2009 Hong Kong International Film Festival and was released on 2 April 2009 in Hong Kong.

Plot

In the early 1990s, a tractor mechanic nicknamed Steelhead (Jackie Chan) illegally enters Japan from China in search of his fiancée, Xiu-Xiu (Xu Jinglei) with the help of his "brother" Jie (Daniel Wu). Jie has taught Steelhead how to make a living by teaching him the trades of the underworld. One day, while illegally working as part of a clean-up crew in the sewers, Steelhead and his Chinese comrades are spotted by the police. Unwilling to get caught, Steelhead and the others run for their lives. In the ensuing turn of events, Steelhead saves Detective Kitano from drowning, and in gratitude, Kitano decides to stop pursuing Steelhead.

One night, while working in a restaurant with Jie, Steelhead found Xiu-Xiu with Yakuza leader Eguchi (Masaya Kato). Saddened by seeing his fiancée with another man, he spent the night with Jie drinking and partying with hookers. Once sober, Steelhead decided to become a legal citizen of Japan by any means possible. Steelhead and his Chinese friends then went on an aggressive money laundering operation, but left Jie out of it due to his kind hearted nature. Unfortunately, Taiwanese triad leader, Gao (Jack Kao), discovered one of his pachinko machines had been tampered with (fixed by Steelhead's group) and vowed to punish the culprit. Jie was caught playing the tampered pachinko machine and was taken to a dark alleyway where Gao sliced Jie's face and cut off his right hand for information. Upon learning that Jie was held by the Taiwanese gang, Steelhead and the rest of their group goes and collect Jie.

Full of anger and pity for Jie's fate, Steelhead snuck and hid inside Gao's establishment to take revenge, but instead learned of the plot to kill Eguchi between the Togawa group (rival "allies") and Gao. Gao failed to kill Eguchi; Steelhead saved Eguchi by chopping off Gao's arm with his machete and two ran for their lives. The two successfully escaped pursuit and Steelhead was welcomed to the Eguchi estate to recover.

Steelhead would have the chance to catch up with Xiu-Xiu (as an old acquaintance of the same village) as Eguchi gave them a moment to speak to each other. Steelhead learned that Eguchi and Xiu-Xiu have a little girl, Ayako. Xiu-Xiu told Steelhead her name is Yuko Eguchi now and that she was happy with her new life. Eguchi returned and offered Steelhead a high paying job, but he refused.

Later, Eguchi tried unsuccessfully to expose Togawa for the attempted assassination, but their boss made Eguchi apologize for the accusations instead. Eguchi then asked Steelhead to be a hitman. Steelhead agreed, under two conditions: he'll take control of Gao's territories and legally become a citizen of Japan. Steelhead killed all of his targets, which resulted a gang war within the Yakuza ranks; Steelhead and Eguchi got what they wanted. Eguchi was promoted after Togawa and Steelhead became a vassal under Eguchi with Gao's territories.

Steelhead did everything to make a better life for his Chinese brothers, but had no interest in the daily operations of Yakuza activity. He left all the daily operations to his brothers as he started a successful tractor business. Sometime later, Detective Kitano met with Steelhead and warned him that all of his brothers have become corrupted. Kitano told Steelhead that he would be arrested along with his friends, with him charged as the head conspirator. Steelhead made a deal with Kitano: Steelhead would find evidence to have Eguchi arrested in exchange for his comrades' freedom.

That fateful night, Steelhead and Kitano returned to the vassal HQ to warn his comrades about their impending arrest if they didn't stop their operation and was met with furious opposition. His brothers violently refused to give up their rich lives they made with the Yakuza. Eguchi arrived just as Steelhead was stabbed by one of his friends. Meanwhile, the Yakuza couldn't tolerate Eguchi's leadership anymore. Gao, Nakajima (Eguchi's former subordinate), and Togawa's son agreed to take Eguchi down the same night.

Waves of Yakuza stormed into the building and proceeded to kill everyone, leaving only Eguchi, Steelhead, and Kitano to survive the onslaught. Mortally wounded, Eguchi gave Steelhead a flash drive that contained data on Yakuza operations. As Kitano and Steelhead escaped out of the building, the police arrive and arrest the Yakuza. Steelhead calls Yuko to meet in Okobu station, along with Ayaka, but Togawa had already taken Ayako hostage and told him where Steelhead was. Nakajima intercepted Steelhead; the police arrived in time and exchanged gunfire with Nakajima and his men. Kitano managed to shoot Nakajima, but Steelhead suffered a bullet wound and fled into the sewers. Kitano found Steelhead being swept away by sewage currents and tried to pull him out, but Steelhead told him it was useless and Kitano did not know how to swim. Steelhead gave the flash drive to Kitano before the current swept his body away, calling his debt to Kitano repaid while remembering how happy it was when he was with his comrades in simpler times.

Cast

• Jackie Chan as Steelhead
• Naoto Takenaka as Inspector Kitano
• Daniel Wu as Jie
• Chin Kar-lok as Hongkie (Hong Kong Boy)
• Xu Jinglei as Yuko Eguchi
• Fan Bingbing as Lily
• Masaya Kato as Eguchi
• Jack Kao as Gao Jie (Taiwanese Gang Leader)
• Yasuaki Kurata as Taro Watagawa
• Lam Suet as Old Ghost
• Ken Lo as Little Tai
• Kenya Sawada as Nakajima
• Paul Chun as Uncle Tak
• Kathy Yuen Ka Yi as Shizuko
• Teddy Lin as Tai Bao (as Teddy Lin Chun)
• Hayama Go as Togawa Kyohei (as Hiro Hayama)
• Randy Muscles as Gaijin (uncredited)
• Wong Wai-fai
• Lesley Chiang
• Wu Gang
• Gladys Fung (as Gladys Fung Ho Sze)
• Michael J. Rice
• Ka Leong Chan (as Ringo Chan Ka Leong)
• Baudouin Euloge Adogony
• Chu Cho-Kuen

Production

According to director Derek Yee, the film has been in the planning stages for almost 10 years, and was due to start filming in May 2006. Because Chan was busy filming Rush Hour 3, filming for Shinjuku Incident was delayed. Yee didn't mind waiting until Chan's busy schedule had a slot, as the two are good friends and because Yee feels Chan is right for the role. On 26 September 2007, it stated on Chan's website that filming will begin in "a few weeks" in Japan. Filming began in November 2007.

However, due to significant amounts of violence in the film, director Yee made a conscious decision not to release the film in mainland China. China does not have a film classification system, so films are released for all audiences. Yee considered toning down or cutting the violence in order to pass censorship, but felt it would hurt the integrity of the film. Chan, who was an investor in the film, agreed with Yee's decision.

Jackie Chan's real life son Jaycee does not appear in the film, contrary to early rumors.^{[citation needed]}

Reception

Shinjuku Incident received mixed reviews. Russell Edwards of Variety admired the acting in the film, saying, "[The film] defiantly establishes a new dramatic frontier for Chan, who's clearly the star and acquits himself admirably."

Edmund Lee of Time Out Hong Kong was indifferent, saying "While the film breaks more limbs than it does new ground, Shinjuku Incident is pulsating in its dramatic intensity, and indelible in its brutal vision."

Meanwhile Brian Miller of The Village Voice gave a negative review, saying; "The killing and the brawling between rival Japanese and Chinese gang factions are spasmodic and unruly; there's no glamour to this mobster's rise and fall. Despite its Hong Kong pedigree (Derek Yee directs) Shinjuku Incident forgoes flashy action scenes in favor of old fashioned moralism."

Perry Lam of Muse sees the film as an example of Hong Kong's eroding cinematic identity due to encroaching mainland influence: "OK, we get the point – mainlanders have always been the patriots, now they can be heroes in Cantonese cinema too… What will become of Hong Kong cinema, or what will be left of it, when its filmmakers stop trying to seek inspiration from the city and make heroes of its people?"

Accolades

16th Hong Kong Film Critics Society Award

• Film of Merit

29th Hong Kong Film Awards

• Nominated: Best Film
• Nominated: Best Director (Derek Yee)
• Nominated: Best Cinematography (Nobuyasu Kita)
• Nominated: Best Action Choreography (Chin Ka Lok)

Home media

On 22 February 2010, the film was released in Cine Asia at Europe in Region 2. In the U.S. it was released on home media on 8 June 2010.

See also

• Jackie Chan filmography

External links

• Official website
• Shinjuku Incident at the Internet Movie Database
• Shinjuku Incident at AllRovi
• Shinjuku Incident at Rotten Tomatoes