Synopsis:
Shinjuku Incident combines the elements of a gang thriller and immigrant drama. The plot is focused on a group of Chinese “Immigrants” (illegal ones) in Japan and their struggle and problems. Throw in Japanese Yakuza, friendship, blood, gang war and you have the making of a violent and gritty film.
The lead cast of Jackie Chan and Daniel Wu reunited on screen for the first time since playing cop and thief in “The New Police Story”. Jackie Chan is Steelhead, who sneaks into Japan as a illegal immigrant to find his lost lover Xiu Xiu (Xu Jinglei). Jie (Daniel Wu) and other illegal immigrants from China are there to help Steelhead get settled down in his new life.
However life is rough for them, as they are often forced to take odds job and hide from the police due to their special status. During his shift as a dishwasher in a restaurant with Jie, Steelhead finally sees Xiu Xiu and she is revealed to be the wife of Yakuza leader Mr. Eguchi (Masaya Kato).
Heartbroken, Steelhead decides on a new direction and strives to become a legal citizen of Japan. However Steelhead and his friends are pulled into a increasingly dangerous path of no return.
Review
First of all, this is not the typical Jackie Chan action and comedy film. The story is dark and intense in it’s development with the consequences of crime and violence being a main theme.
For once, Jackie Chan does not play a cop and is incapable of fighting like superman, as he does his best in a more serious and dramatic role. Also included is his character visiting a hooker and having sex. Some fans may grumble at this new direction while others will applause his evolution and wiliness to explore new grounds.
Daniel Wu easily handles the scope of his role and switches to different aspects of the character easily. However with his American Born Chinese background, viewers might find it hard to be convinced by his PRC role.
The film explores the theme of human vulnerability as it develops, as the Chinese immigrants get involved in conflicts with both side of the law. Out of necessity and choice, Steelhead and the group get involved in crime for the sake of survival in an difficult environment.
Director Derek Yee (The Protege) smartly crafts moments of shocking violence to stir the audiences emotions and the fates of the characters. However the proper change of tone and overall cohesion of the story fails to be delivered.
The last 30mins are particularly disappointing as it’s very unneccessarily action packed whilst lacking the emotional climax that the entire film has been building up for and thereby dilutes any insightful messages that the movie was trying to bring across in the first place. So much so that when the final curtain falls you are are greeted with important statistics about immigrants to Japan you are at a point in which you really dont care 
Conclusion
Shinjuku Incident comes off as over ambitious, trying to be both a gangland thriller and immigrant drama but fails to score strongly on either.
Perhaps with the right director and a more experienced drama actor, this film would have been more memorable. As it is, Shinjuku is a enjoyable film that hit very hard but lack that something to really deliver the punch.
Score
[Rating:3.5/5] ( Good Effort)
