Review of Shinjuku Incident (2009) by Ferry P — 07 Apr 2009

Grim, brutal and oppressive, this movie plays like every horror story/cliche our parents used to tell us about so-called relatives who "tiu kei" (literally "jump planes" in Cantonese) to work illegally in Japan. And while it's probably an accurate enough depiction of the issues they face, it sure as heck makes for depressing fare. While the movie deserves props for boldly departing from the typical Jackie Chan movie mould -- see Jackie go on a crusade to nab bad guys/avenge a loved one, see Jackie get thrashed, see Jackie recover just in time to beat bad guys to an even bloodier pulp and right their wrongs, kungfu-style -- this movie ultimately flounders because Jackie just isn't a competent enough dramatic lead, and the supporting cast rarely get a chance to break out of their stereotyped moulds (in particular the script really does a number on Daniel Wu's character, who goes from a believably earnest guy to total freak show outcast).

One can't help but feel that while Jackie's attempts to be taken seriously as a, well, serious actor are understandable given his advancing age (can't be breaking every bone in his body to do his own stunts forever) and the movie's unflinching depiction of the desperate straits the characters find themselves in are to be commended (he shared exec producer credits) the characters HE plays continues to be rather stock ones, i.e. righteous, upstanding, morally unimpeachable and well-meaning. Everyman characters who are invariably good men who fell off the straight and narrow path due to extenuating circumstances. And while his Steel Head character does skirt around the clearly defined lines of good and bad, in the end, even the shockingly reprehensible acts he commits are justifiable because we are (continually) shown that his intentions were purer than the driven snow, namely to better the lot of his fellow immigrants. Of course, we are also ultimately shown that the end doesn't, and can't ever, justify the means. Which just left me wishing that whole thing hadn't come across so much like a heavy-handed Moral lesson. This goes down as another promising flick that inexplicably imploded towards the messy ending, torpedoed by its own didactic-ness and inability to resolve ambitious story arcs.