Shinjuku Incident

[GeneChing]

Come to think of it, we don't have a separate thread on this Jackie film either (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?p=878370) and it's due out in less than a month now.


Jackie Chan signs on to reported immigrant drama set in Tokyo's Shinjuku district (http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/07/17/arts/AS-A-E-MOV-Jackie-Chan-Shinjuku-Movie.php)
The Associated Press
Published: July 16, 2007

HONG KONG: Jackie Chan has signed on for what Chinese media described as a drama portraying the lives of Chinese immigrants in Tokyo's bustling Shinjuku district scheduled to start shooting in November, Chan's spokesman said Tuesday.

Solon So confirmed Chan's involvement in the Derek Yee movie whose Chinese title translates as "Shinjuku Incident" in English, but declined to give details to The Associated Press about Chan's role or the plot.

According to the Beijing News newspaper, "Shinjuku Incident" is about Chinese immigrants in Shinjuku, one of Tokyo's most crowded shopping and entertainment districts.

The report quoted Hong Kong director Yee as saying Chan's role will be more drama than action.

"A few years ago the audience couldn't accept Jackie Chan as an actor. But he has matured and the timing is right," Yee reportedly said.

Chan mentioned the new movie in an interview with the AP last year. He wouldn't describe the story but said then it's based on a true story and that it would be shot in Japan.

Spokesman So said Chan's production company, JCE Movies Ltd., has invested in "Shinjuku Incident," but did not provide further details.

A spokeswoman for JCE, Kitty Leung, told the AP the film is scheduled to start shooting in November. She said the movie doesn't have an English title yet.

Chan is currently shooting "The Forbidden Kingdom," a Hollywood kung fu movie costarring Jet Li.

The Beijing News said "Shinjuku Incident" will also feature Ken Watanabe from "The Last Samurai" and Hong Kong actor Daniel Wu.

JCE spokeswoman Leung declined to reveal the cast. Contact information for Watanabe's publicist wasn't immediately available.

Calls to director Yee's office went unanswered.

Teaser poster (http://www.mtime.com/baidunews/1151075.html)

[Shaolinlueb]

man i love jackie. i hope they wont slow down any of his stuff or restrict his fight scenes like in his last couple movies. the guy is in his 50's and moves better then most of the people on this board.

[GeneChing]

The Myth (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=658)and Police Story (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=572) becoming TV shows?

The Disciples (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=45829) as the New Little Fortunes?


Jackie Chan's 'Shinjuku Incident' to Premiere at HKIF (http://www.asianbite.com/default.asp?display=2404)
January 13, 2009 10:34

Jackie Chan's Shinjuku Incident, filmed last year in Japan and China, will premiere at this year's Hong Kong International Film Festival (March 22 - April 13). The movie, produced by Emperor Dragon Movies and directed by Derek Yee, is a serious drama about a Chinese immigrant in Japan. Shinjuku Incident is scheduled to open in Hong Kong in early April.

Since Jackie wrapped filming of The Spy Next Door at the end of December, he has been back in China keeping very busy. On New Year's Eve he joined friend Emil Chau to sing at a concert in Shanghai. Back in Beijing, he attended a press conference to announce that his 2005 film The Myth will be made into a television drama which will air in China and which Jackie will produce. Jackie said that he had thought about making a film sequel to The Myth, but felt that a television series would better be able to play out his many ideas for the story. At the ceremony, Jackie presented actor Hu Ge with one of General Meng Yi's outfits from the movie. Hu Ge was surprised and honored at receiving such a valuable gift. Last year, one of these outfits was auctioned off in China to benefit Jackie's Dragon's Heart Charity. Jackie announced that Police Story would be made into a television drama, also to air in China.

Jackie was joined by popular Mainland singers Tan Jing and Chang Shilei to record "Zhong Guo Nian", a song for the Chinese New Year. Jackie said that he hoped the song would be a greeting to all the people of the world.

Finally, The Disciple finalists and winners (known as the New Little Fortunes) have recorded a special song just for Jackie. The title of the song, "Sifu" means "teacher." The group will sing the song to Jackie at a special Chinese New Year celebration sponsored by CCTV in Beijing at the end of January.

Filming for Jackie's next movie is set to begin next month in China.

[RAYNYSC]

Action-packed ‘Shinjuku Incident’ trailer
By Mark Pollard • February 4, 2009


The full trailer for Jackie Chan’s latest movie, THE SHINJUKU INCIDENT, is now available at the film’s official site. http://shinjukuincident.emp.hk/en_main.html While there, you’ll also find a synopsis, cast and crew info, pics, and desktop wallpaper downloads. What still hasn’t been added as of this writing is a making-of featurette.

Many of us knew this was going to be a crime drama where Chan performs very limited fighting action. What I find surprising about this footage is how much action is still in the movie.

The film looks like one of Chan’s smartest and edgiest since NEW POLICE STORY, which is highly welcome given the many lightweight roles we have had to endure since. It’s probably no coincidence that Chan is again paired up with Daniel Wu who has risen above many of his peers to become one of Hong Kong’s leading dramatic actors.

The film sports so many quality actors that it’s going to be hard for it to fail, even if the trailer had not looked as good as it does. Naoto Takenaka is a three-time Japanese Academy Award winner. Then you have mainland Chinese talents Xu Jinglei (THE WARLORDS) and Fan Bingbing (THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM), great character actors like Lam Suet (EXILED) and Paul Chun (FIST OF LEGEND), and action veterans Chin Kar-lok (ONE NITE IN MONGKOK), Ken Lo (FATAL CONTACT) and Yasuaki Kurata (SO CLOSE).

Once a Shaw Brothers actor known for leading roles in quality martial arts films like THE SENTIMENTAL SWORDSMAN and SHAOLIN PRINCE, director Derek Yee has evolved into a very talented filmmaker. In recent years Yee has been finding success as a director of crime dramas, specifically ONE NITE IN MONGKOK (2004) and PROTÉGÉ (2007), both starring Daniel Wu. THE SHINJUKU INCIDENT is his latest.

THE SHINJUKU INCIDENT is heading to theaters in select Asian territories on April 2nd. One place the film will not be appearing is mainland China where censors have taken exception to the gangster elements and the anti-heroic role that Jackie Chan plays.

Yee refused to budge on making cuts which is something I have tremendous respect for. Mainland China represents a huge yet creatively stifling market that Hong Kong filmmakers in recent years have regrettably been forced to cater to in order to stay in business. With the release THE SHINJUKU INCIDENT there is yet hope that Hong Kong filmmakers unwilling to sell out on their vision can continue to find enough support for their work elsewhere to carry on.

[GeneChing]

...that Kungfucinema article above (http://www.kungfucinema.com/?p=5076) lists Fan Bingbing as in Forbidden Kingdom, (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=42599) but it was actually Li Bingbing. That mistake gets made a lot.

Know your Bingbings.

Fan Bingbing (http://fanbingbingfan.com/)
Li Bingbing (http://www.libingbing.net/)

[GeneChing]

...of course, that's in the nation of Malasia. Who knows when it might open here in America?

Reaching out with Shinjuku Incident (http://www.thesundaily.com/article.cfm?id=29957)
Sharyn Yap

REPORTS in a newsmagazine about Chinese immigrants in Japan during the 1997/1998 period caught acclaimed director Derek Yee’s attention and an idea germinated. According to Yee, the notion of Chinese people forming their own pockets of communities in places they migrate to was not something new but unlike other more open societies, Japan has always been a tough place for migrants to gather roots because the Japanese were wary of them.

"Very little was known of these communities that sprang up in Japan because they were illegal and stayed very much underground," he said. "I wanted to present a Chinese viewpoint of life within these communities.

"It’s not a real story, of course, but an adaptation of what my research revealed."

The result is Shinjuku Incident, a blockbuster movie that brings together two of Hongkong’s biggest boxoffice draws – international action star Jackie Chan and Yee (of Protégé, One Nite in Mongkok and Full Throttle fame).

Made at a cost of more than US$25 million (RM90 million), the film pools several top talents from Hongkong, Mainland China and Japan, including Daniel Wu, Xu Jing-lei, Fan Bing-bing, Naota Takenaka and Masaya Kato with location shootings in Japan’s Shinjuku and China’s Suzhou and Changchun.

Because the research was so fascinating with the story evolving all the time, Yee said that the film probably took him the longest time to complete but the result should be worth all the effort.

The story revolves around a tractor repairman from Heilongjiang in northern China, played by Chan, who sneaks into Japan illegally in search of his girlfriend Xiu-xiu (Xu Jing-lei) after he loses contact with her.

Once there, he joins the other immigrants, who are shunned by the mainstream society, hounded by the Japanese yakuza (the Japanese triad) and who go about their days under fear of discovery and being repatriated.

Under the guidance of a friend, Jie (Daniel Wu), he settles into a routine and soon discovers that Xiu-xiu has married Eguchi, a yakuza leader. He later finds himself working with Eguchi but Jie’s betrayal brings things to a head…

Shinjuku Incident boasts a side of Chan never before seen by his audiences after over three decades in the movie business with the action choreography in the capable hands of Chin Kar-lok (Full throttle, All’s Well Ends Well 97 and Full Alert), who started his career as part of Sammo Hung’s stunt team and who has become one of Hongkong’s top stuntmen and martial arts choreographers today.

The thing that struck Yee as he was researching for the script was how little human nature has changed through the years.

"People have always moved to where the money was or where the economy was booming," he said. "We are not just talking about the Chinese but also Europeans as well. And, when these migrants settle in and are oppressed, they survive by uniting and evolving into organisations.

"I think audiences will take away different things from Shinjuku Incident. All our own personal experiences will find a resonating chord or two in the story that unfolds in the movie." - Sharyn Yap

Shinjuku Incident is distributed by Golden Screen Cinemas and opens nationwide on April 2, 2009.

[Shaolinlueb]

jackie chan gunning own japanese in broad daylight = the win for me. i will see this.

[GeneChing]

Still no word on an American release...

'Shinjuku Incident' to Open in Hong Kong (http://www.asianbite.com/default.asp?display=2509)
* February 17, 2009 18:39

The star-studded film 'The Shinjuku Incident' by Hong Kong director Derek Yee will soon open in Hong Kong on April 2.

Leading actors Jackie Chan has teamed up with co-star Fan Bingbing to shoot a spread in Cosmopolitan magazine to promote the film. The two appeared together on the magazine's cover in last September's issue.

The drama, originally set to hit screens by late September last year was postponed. According to media reports the film has not passed the censors on the mainland.

Reportedly, the production team had thought to tone down the violence in the film to meet the requirements of the mainland but finally scrapped the idea as it would destroy the film's integrity.

The drama, set in 1990s, portrays the lives of Chinese immigrants in Tokyo's bustling Shinjuku district.

A tractor mechanic from China nicknamed Steelhead (Jackie Chan) enters Japan illegally in search of his girlfriend Xiu Xiu (Xu Jinglei). Steelhead and his friend, Jie (Daniel Wu) meet in the busy Shinjuku district and take manual labouring jobs to earn money. When Steelhead finds out that Xiu Xiu has married a Japanese Yakuza leader named Eguchi (Ken Watanabe), he decides to remain in Japan. To obtain citizenship, he agrees to work for Eguchi as a killer, but quickly becomes used to the power. Soon he has become embroiled so deeply in the ways of the Yakuza that there is no turning back.

In this big-budget movie that costs $25 million, Jackie Chan breaks away from his typical image as an upright and unbeatable action star. At the end of movie, protagonist Steelhead is killed, marking Jackie Chan's first on-screen death.

The majority of the movie was shot in Japan.


Director: Jackie Chan film too violent for China (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hjScitMMu_wCg3CUQyxw2G2NpazAD96DARS00)
By MIN LEE – 1 day ago

HONG KONG (AP) — Jackie Chan, the comical kung fu king, is starring in a new movie so violent that its director decided not to release it in mainland China, which doesn't have a film ratings system.

Hong Kong director Derek Yee said Monday that he considered toning down the violence in "Shinjuku Incident" so it could pass censorship in China, but decided not to because he thought it would hurt the integrity of the movie.

Yee said the $25 million Chinese-language movie, in which Chan plays a refugee who escapes to Japan and becomes a killer for the mob, has scenes that show characters getting a hand chopped off and pierced with knives.

"We tried to cut the violent scenes to meet the requirements of the Chinese market, but producers I invited to watch that version thought it was incomplete," he said.

Yee said Chan, who invested in the movie, agreed with his decision.

Solon So, chief executive of Chan's company, JC Group, confirmed Yee's account.

China doesn't have a ratings system, so every movie is released for all audiences. Chinese censors are also wary of subject matter that is politically sensitive, like Tibet or the military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1989.

Yee said he wasn't worried about the film's setting of Japan — another sensitive topic in China.

"For us, the problem was just the violence," he said.

Sino-Japanese relations remain tense because of Japan's brutal occupation of China during World War II. The 2005 Hollywood film "Memoirs of a Geisha" was not released on the mainland apparently because the sight of Chinese actresses Zhang Ziyi and Gong Li portraying Japanese entertainers would offend viewers.

Yee's decision also had financial implications because the film is expensive by Asian standards and China is an increasingly important market, where a hit movie can make millions of U.S. dollars.

"Shinjuku Incident" will be released in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia on April 2 and in Japan on May 1.

[Li Kao]

I'm glad to see Jackie doing some more "serious" kinds of movies. I have to admit that in around 2003 I had almost regretfully written Jackie off -- this was after the sequels to Rush Hour and Shanghai Noon and the back-to-back "Inspector Gadget- like" duds Tuxedo & Medallion (which unfortunately, even the respective hotties in those films did not salvage). But then New Police Story turned out decent and I happened to really like Forbidden Kingdom, so he seems to be back in the right direction again. It almost goes without saying, but what that guy can do in his 50's now is truly amazing.

[Kansuke]

jackie chan gunning down japanese in broad daylight = the win for me. i will see this.



Why is that a win for you? :confused:

[doug maverick]

Why is that a win for you? :confused:

because lueb like all of us on this board are racist against japanese. j/k, calm down kansuke. you're worse then blacks and jews, when it comes to this race thing. andlet me find out you're not even japanese. that'll just be to funny.

[Shaolinlueb]

Why is that a win for you? :confused:

when is the last time jackie chan gunned down someone in cold blood?

it could be jackie chan gunning down ________ in broad daylight = win.

:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

[Jimbo]

Still no word on an American release...

Actually, this would not be Jackie Chan's first onscreen 'death'. I've seen his character(s) die in at least 3 films:

Hand of Death (aka, Countdown to Kung Fu) (1976).

New Fist of Fury (1976).

Plus another film where he was a young kid with a crew cut (title forgotten) where his character gets beaten to death.

I'd definitely be interested to see Shinjuku Incident.

[Kansuke]

when is the last time jackie chan gunned down someone in cold blood?

it could be jackie chan gunning down ________ in broad daylight = win.:





That's very humanitarian of you.

[Kansuke]

you're worse then blacks and jews, when it comes to this race thing.


"Worse"?! Are blacks and Jews 'bad' in your estimation? :confused:

[doug maverick]

"Worse"?! Are blacks and Jews 'bad' in your estimation? :confused:

"totally and irrevocably, horrid group of people.hitler should have wiped them off the planet"























you gotta be kidding me right? when i said worse i meant the thing about calling everyone and everybody that says one thing wrong about the group of people or race is immediately themed a racist. and fyi if you could tell by my avatar i am BLACK.................. and i live in a hessidec jewish neighborhood and i get along with my neighbors swimmingly.

[Kansuke]

Then why would you make those kinds of generalizations?

[doug maverick]

im jut gonna ignore you and move on.

[Kansuke]

Maybe that would be best.

[Shaolinlueb]

That's very humanitarian of you.

hahahahahahahaha
cause i enjoy violent movies. :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

whatever, i'm moving on.

[GeneChing]

Lots of star pics on the link below.

"Shinjuku Incident" Cast in HK (http://english.cri.cn/6666/2009/02/26/1221s457982.htm)
2009-02-26 11:27:46 CRIENGLISH.com Web Editor: Liu Wei
Cast members Bingbing Fan, Jackie Chan, and Jinglei Xu attend a press conference for "The Shinjuku Incident".

From left to right, cast members Bingbing Fan, Jackie Chan, Daniel Wu, Jinglei Xu and director Derek Yee attend the press conference for "The Shinjuku Incident" in Hong Kong on February 25, 2009. The $25 million movie is slated for Asian release in April, but will not be screened on the Chinese mainland for featuring too much violences. The movie is rated 2b in Hong Kong, which means "not suitable for young persons and children."


Jackie Chan Not a Hero in New Film (http://english.cri.cn/6666/2009/02/24/1722s457491.htm)
2009-02-24 17:55:45 CRIENGLISH.com Web Editor: Ma Ting
"The Shinjuku Incident", starring Jackie Chan, will be premiered as the opening for the upcoming annual Hong Kong International Film Festival.

Hong Kong director Tung-Shing Yee's latest motion picture "The Shinjuku Incident", will be premiered as the opening for the upcoming annual Hong Kong International Film Festival.

It's the first time Jackie Chan has dropped his characteristic choreographed martial art moves to play a role in a literary film, according to sina.com.

Starring action superstar Jackie Chan, mainland actress Fan Bingbing, and Japanese actor Masaya Kato, the film depicts a Chinese immigrant's struggle to make a life for himself in the 90s, as part of the underclass of Japanese society. Much of the film was filmed in Tokyo, Kobe and Sendai.

Director Tung-Shing Yee - an actor-turned filmmaker versatile in producing, directing and screenplay writing- is a two-time prize winner of Hong Kong Film Awards, a top honor in Hong Kong's film industry. He is known for his in-focus interpretations of reality and in-depth perspective on ordinary characters from different social circles.

"The Shinjuku Incident" is set for screening in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia regions on April 2.

[GeneChing]

Yea, right, just like when Jet quit (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=37638).

Jackie Chan on why he's given up kung-fu films + review of his new film Shinjuku Incident (http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2009/03/23/jackie-chan-on-why-he-s-given-up-kung-fu-films-115875-21221765/)
By Mirror Film Critic David Edwards at the Hong Kong International Film Festival 23/03/2009
Jackie Chan and David Edwards

In a career spanning three decades, he’s made a fortune kicking the chop-sockey out of all comers.

From Drunken Master to Police Story to Rush Hour, Jackie Chan has become the most famous martial-arts expert on the planet. But now he thinks it’s time for a change.

“The thing is, I can’t just make Rush Hour one, two and three and Drunken Master one and two and Police Story one to six. I know I have to change,” he says.

“I’ve wanted to do it for the last few years and I hope people can accept it. I want to play a good guy and a bad guy and would love to be the Asian Robert De Niro or Dustin Hoffman.

“I don’t like the Rush Hour films but the fact is they generated hundreds and hundreds of millions and they’re paying us really well.”

It’s a shocking admission from the Hong Kong-born star – and just as surprising is his new film, Shinjuku Incident, which premiered at the festival the night before.

A world away from the frenetic kung-fu movies that made his name, Chan stars as a good-natured illegal immigrant struggling to survive in some of Tokyo’s seediest neighbourhoods. Gone are the martial-arts moves of old as our star plays a mild-mannered sap who finds himself slowly drawn into a bloody gang war. Chan’s character doesn’t hit anyone and, when he does face trouble, runs from the scene in tears.

The movie’s message is also unusual for Chan, presenting an adult look at how millions of Chinese immigrants flooded into Japan looking for work in the Eighties.

“I think the film will be a big surprise for a lot of people for people who expect me only to be running around breaking people’s arms and fingers,” he says.

“Last night’s premiere was exciting but I’m still wondering if a normal audience will accept it or not because it’s a really, really big change for me.

“I knew I had to change because you can’t be an action star forever but I do realise there are certain films I have to make, at least in Hollywood.

“So when I’m making an American film I just let them do what they want because they know the market. When I’m back in Asia I control my projects and make what I want. I make American films for American audiences and Asian films for Asian audiences.”

Meeting me at a hotel by the city’s harbour, Chan, dressed in a purple tweed suit, is refreshingly honest and open. Given his frenetic schedule, and the fact he turns 55 next month, he’s also surprisingly lively. “I had to rush over here from filming and after this I have to go to Taiwan and then Malaysia and then Singapore.

“And I’ve just come from filming! We were doing an action sequence again and again and I said, ‘Have you guys forgotten how old I am?’ I had to jump from a rock to another rock, jump into a tree and scale down it. That took seven takes. Seven takes! Everyone forgets how old I am.

“When I’m in meetings until 5am and then have to get up two hours later for filming, sometimes I ask myself ‘why?’

“I should retire but my secret is to keep working. I’ve just finished filming in America and in May I start Kung Fu Kid [a remake of The Karate Kid] and then another one after that.

“It’s non-stop but when I’m on a film set I’m full of energy, I think it keeps me young. The only thing I really like is making a movie. It’s like a holiday. You get up at dawn, work all day then go home, have a shower and have a drink, or sometimes not.”

Is there anything he doesn’t enjoy? His twinkling eyes look down at the table for a moment before he replies: “I hate interviews – but you have to do them. The whole promotional thing, flying places, checking in, checking out, coming back, and having to stay smiling the whole time. Seeing all the people, all the fake talk, ‘I love you so much!’ and then these interviews speaking about the same subjects.”

For a moment he looks almost serious, before breaking into a smile. “I only want my work to make people happy. Life is too short. My message is believe in yourself and never give up.”

• Shinjuku Incident – Review

It’s no more Mr Nice Guy for Jackie Chan as he trades his image of old for a morally-complex character who reluctantly becomes a gang boss in this thoughtful, if brutal, gangster drama.

A cross between One Nite In Mongkok and Goodfellas, the film’s already been banned in China for being too violent. It remains to be seen whether its blood and violence will get past British censors.

Chan plays an illegal Chinese immigrant called Steelhead (so called because he’s a mechanic) who arrives in Tokyo looking for his childhood sweetheart Xiuxiu. Nothing has prepared our good-natured lover for the harsh realities of life in Japan, however, and he soon falls foul of the local Triads. Forced into a corner, he must fall in with a rival gang to survive.

Lacking Chan’s trademark stunt and balletic martial-arts, Shinjuku Incident is many miles from the goofy charms of the Rush Hour series. Dark, grimy and filled with conflicted characters, it’s also a seriously bloody affair, with swords being jabbed through throats with alarming frequency.

Yet while it’s a departure for Chan, the film’s not quite the success he was probably hoping for. The trouble is, it’s a movie of two halves that don’t quite mesh. The first hour of this 166-minute feature is a gentle affair as we learn of Steelhead’s childhood and see his arrival in Japan. Then the gears crunch audibly upwards as we take a turn into flashy but familiar gangster territory. The ending’s a bit sappy, too.

Expect a UK release sometime this year.

Check this out: "Let's Go" Crudo (dan the Automator and Mike Patton) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLqY6vJg8uc)

[Shaolinlueb]

**** all that lost :(

[Jimbo]

Well, I'm happy that at least they're calling it the Kung Fu Kid instead of Karate Kid.

Like I mentioned in my deleted post, IMO Jackie is making the logical choice to become more dramatic and less action-oriented. He can still do action better than most anyone, but he's nowhere near where he was even 10 years ago, much less his peak, and that's only natural. However, I'm skeptical he could become the "Asian Robert DeNiro", due to Jackie's long-established image. But he could become the equivalent of a Dustin Hoffman; they already have a slight facial resemblance.

[GeneChing]

I'm still eager to see this - can Jackie pull off a decent film without kung fu?

Softer side of Jackie (http://www.thesundaily.com/article.cfm?id=31870)
by Sharyn Yap

JACKIE Chan fans may find his latest movie, Shinjuku Incident, a tad disconcerting as he’s not performing any kung fu stunts at all. But for Chan himself, the movie offers a fresh new challenge and several firsts where his career is concerned.

"The biggest breakthrough for me in this movie is that I’m just an actor – I was not involved in any other aspects of it," he says in Kuala Lumpur recently. Chan and co-star Daniel Wu (right) were in town to promote the movie.

"It was an agreement I had with the director (Derek Yee). I was not to give any opinion whatsoever; I could not change the script or the action choreography … it was very difficult [for me].

"This is also the first time I was a villain, sort of. The first time I play a man who don’t know kung fu, the first time as a village bumpkin, and also I had a bed scene and went naked!"

As Yee is one director he could trust, Chan was willing to go the extra mile. Yee had always wanted to work with Chan as long as 15 years ago, but not on an action flick. Now that Chan has come to realise he wants to be an actor who knows how to do action movies and not just an action star, the time is right for their collaboration.

"Too much of the same thing would become boring," Chan explains. "I’m getting fed up myself. I have been experimenting with different styles and I think if the audience can accept this one, I would be able to do anything. If not, it will be back to Rush Hour 10 or Police Story 20…

"To date, the public response [to Shinjuku Incident] has been good although there were some Japanese fans who stopped me in the street crying because they hadn’t wanted to see me get beaten up or dying."

The movie revolves around an honest tractor repairman from China called Steelhead (Chan), who steals into Japan’s Shinjuku district in search of his girlfriend. There, he sees the Chinese illegal immigrants like him being shunned by mainstream society and oppressed by both the Japanese Yakuza and Chinese gangs.

He decides to take a stand. He strikes an uneasy alliance with Eguchi, a Yakuza head, and is given control of Shinjuku’s night establishments. But all he really wants is a simple life and starts his own tractor repair business, leaving the rest to his friends.

But power corrupts and even his close friend from the same village, Jie (Daniel Wu), formerly a shy, simple-minded youth, is transformed into a demented druggie.

For Wu, playing Jie was challenging as he had to submit to a character change from a mild-mannered young man to one with outlandish make-up and a wild nature.

"In the beginning, we were afraid that the image was a bit too extreme," he says. "But in Japan, we discovered, they were even more so and we adapted to the Japanese style.

"To Jie, the make-up and wig were all symbolic of a mask for him to hide behind. It says ‘keep away from me’ but ultimately, he is a lonely and insecure character and I had to get into that mind-set for the role."

Both Chan and Wu agree that their favourite and most memorable scene was the one where Chan was nursing Wu, who had been brutally beaten. The two had a good cry, even after the cameras stopped rolling. "I was just sitting there and looking at him and he looked so sad and the tears just came," says Chan.

Another interesting scene was the bath scene, where the two actually bared all. "When we went to the bath, we were unaware that it was a public bath and everybody there was naked," reveals Chan. "At first, we had a towel on but then, it would look funny so I said what the heck, and ripped it off." He also ripped Wu’s towel off!

"I was not so much embarrassed but worried that people might make comparisons," Wu chips in mischievously. "After all, he is the Big Brother!"

Of course, fans in Malaysia will not get to see anything as the censorship board has been busy. We also won’t be witnessing Chan’s first bed scene.

"Overall, Yee wanted to bring to light the Chinese people’s life as illegal immigrants and after watching this movie, people will realise that being an illegal immigrant is not a good thing.

"The message here is that ultimately, no country is better than your own."

Shinjuku Incident is showing in cinemas nationwide starting today.

[GeneChing]

See 10 Questions for Jackie Chan (http://www.time.com/time/video/?bcpid=1485842900&bctid=18432481001) TIME video


Shinjuku Incident (http://www.thesundaily.com/article.cfm?id=32038)

THIS is one Jackie Chan movie that is different. There’s no kung fu stunts here at all. Sure, he still fights – a bit – but with none of his famous nifty moves and beautiful manoeuvres in this rather intense drama about illegal Chinese immigrants in Japan.

Steelhead (Chan) is an honest, hard-working tractor repairman from China who makes his way into Japan illegally in search of his girlfriend Xiu-xiu (Xu Jing-lei).

Once there, he witnesses how the Chinese migrant community in the Shinjuku district is being hounded and oppressed by the yakuza and other Chinese gangs.

In order to survive, he is driven into an uneasy alliance with yakuza leader Eguchi (Masaya Kato), whom Xiu-xiu had married.

In exchange for his help, Steelhead is given control of Shinjuku’s night establishments. Since he is more interested in living a peaceful life with new girlfriend Lily (Fan), he leaves the business to his compatriots.

However, his friends end up being used by Eguchi to front the yakuza’s drug business. Feeling responsible, Steelhead steps into the shadowy world once more.

Chan is supported by an excellent cast of Chinese and Japanese actors such as Naoto Takenaka who is brilliant as Kitano, a cop who is saved by Steelhead and becomes his ally.

Veteran Hongkong actor Paul Chun Pui puts in an amazing performance as a Shinjuku resident who bullies those he can and kowtow to those he can’t.

Chin Kar-lok, the movie’s action choreographer, also has a notable role here.

But, of course, the most outstanding has to be Wu who plays a rather shy, timid young man who is swept into the murky world against his will.

Shinjuku Incident is entertaining in its own way – although violent – with pretty good interaction from the cast.

But as far as a Jackie Chan movie goes, it’s just not the same without those good, old-fashioned punches and kicks and death-defying stunts. – Sharyn Yap

[GeneChing]

Can Jackie break out of his typecast?

Different light (http://www.star-ecentral.com/news/story.asp?file=/2009/4/3/movies/3609856&sec=movies)

Action superstar Jackie Chan broadens his horizons and shows audiences a new side to his acting prowess.

JACKIE CHAN will make you cry in this movie. Yep, there are no slapstick antics, no laugh out loud quips.

In fact, Chan has taken a huge leap of confidence in his latest venture, Shinjuku Incident. In this one film alone, the superstar – who has acted in over a 100 films in his long and illustrious career – boldly goes where he has never tread before. Chan tackles several issues he’d never considered touching in his 47 years of filmmaking. Renown for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing and his innovative use of improvised weapons, Chan readily admits that “this is a film of many firsts for me”.

It is the first time he plays a non-fighter. It is the first time he plays a villain who kills people. It is the first time he does a bedroom scene, and drops his towel! And without giving too many spoilers away, this is the first time viewers will be moved to tears by the time the credits roll. (Malaysian moviegoers might not get to see several of the action star’s “firsts” though, as some of the more violent and sexy scenes have been censored.)

Yet, with all his “firsts” aside, the biggest breakthrough for Chan was actually succeeding in stopping himself from interfering with other aspects of filmmaking, and sticking to acting.

“Before we began filming, I agreed with director (Derek) Yee that I would only play the role of an actor and nothing else. He said if I made changes to the script or altered any of action-director Chin Ka-Lok’s fight choreography, then we might as well not make this movie at all.”

Chan agreed. “But it was indeed very difficult for me. As I watched the proceedings and even the editing, many times I wanted to offer my opinion but I had to respect the wishes of the director.”

Chan was in town on Tuesday with his co-star Daniel Wu to meet fans and promote Shinjuku Incident, which they say will not be released in China due to the film’s violent content and the negative influence it might have on young minds.

Helmed by multiple award-winning Hong Kong filmmaker Derek Yee, the gangster thriller tells of the sad predicament of Chinese immigrants caught between the police and the yakuza as they try to eke out a living in Shinjuku, Japan.

“Though I can’t say the same for many other directors, I knew I could trust Derek Yee. He did his research for 10 years. In this film, we’re showing people what their countrymen have to contend with in other countries. Effectively, we’re telling people everywhere that there’s no place like home.”

While it may not be considered a martial arts flick, the film is nevertheless packed with action sequences and tremendous dramatic impact, courtesy of action director Chin, who also plays Hongkie, a key figure in the movie. The film also stars mainland Chinese beauties Fan Bingbing and Xu Jinglei – both who play Chan’s love interests in the film, as well as Japanese actors Masaya Kato, and Naoto Takenaka.

The story is set in the early 1990s. Chan portrays Chinese tractor repairman, Steelhead, and Wu plays his fellow villager Jie. His girlfriend Xiuxiu (Xu Jinglei) goes to Japan to study and when she does not return, he enters Japan illegally to search for her.

There he meets Jie and he ends up doing odd jobs to earn a living. Then he finds out that she has married yakuza head Eguchi (Masaya Kato) and changed her name to Yuko. Meanwhile, he saves Inspector Kitano (Naoto Takenaka) from drowning and nightclub mama-san Lily (Fan) during a robbery. And along the way, he somehow gets entangled in triad dealings while trying to help his friends.

“The character I play is 70% like the real Jackie. I take care of other people and go far away to work leaving my family at home. In fact, I take care of others more than I do my own son. He’s in his 20s now. He used to compose songs. Now, he wants to make films. He plans to go into directing. I said to him, ‘You can do anything you like. But, there are three things you can’t touch: drugs, triads and gambling.’ My father taught me that. I grew up with all these negative influences around me but I never touched them.”

Heaping praise on the Chinese actresses in Shinjuku Incident, he said: “I think people have a lot to learn from mainland Chinese actresses. Their professionalism is impressive. A lot of the film’s dialogue is in Japanese; and Bingbing would come on set and speak like a native Japanese. Though, she doesn’t understand a word, she’s learnt all her Japanese lines by heart. And she’s got all the proper expressions and inflections to go with it.”

Unlike most of his previous films which mainly revolved around action, Chan traded kicks and punches for drama and tears this time around. “I have always wanted to be known as an actor who can fight, not an action star who can act.”

“My chief purpose has always been to make different films and play varied characters for the benefit of my fans. If people can accept me in Shinjuku Incident, then it would have really broadened the range of roles I can look forward to playing in the future. In Hollywood, I won’t get offered such films, they only give such roles to actors like Robert De Niro.”

Referencing his popular American and Hong Kong movies, Chan voiced his boredom at being stereotyped. “Given an opportunity, I would rather not carry on making films like Rush Hour and Police Story.

“I want to explore new things and have an enjoyable time on the set,” said Chan, who turns 55 next Tuesday. “If I continue making those movies, it would be no fun for me any more. The cameras start rolling and I repeat the same lines: ‘Don’t move. Police from Hong Kong. Inspector Lee,’” Chan droned, eliciting peals of laughter from the media present.

Though he is keen to explore a wider scope, he is concerned that moviegoers would not be able to accept change.

“To date, some 85% of the response I’ve gotten is positive. In Japan, however, fans were crying in the streets because they didn’t like to see me get beaten up or in any tragic sort of conclusion. To placate them, I had to tell them I already had a comedy in the pipeline.”

Chan then shared that he’d been working on a screenplay for the past decade. The film is a combination of action and noir comedy called Da Bing Xiao Jiang (Big Soldier, Little General). And his co-star for the flick would be none other than Rochester-born Taiwanese singer-songwriter, Wang Lee Hom.

“I hope to release this film this year as well so audiences will get to see two movies from me, and one with the Jackie they’re familiar with.”

Apart from that audiences can expect two other movies, a remake of Karate Kid said to be renamed as Kungfu Kid and Chu Ba Wang.

Chan is also ready to groom his successors, and he has already signed on all the 16 contestants from the 2008 edition of Beijing reality show titled Long De Quan Ren (Decendants of the Dragon). “Next year we’ll start the show again, and I will open it to Malaysia, Singapore, Korea, Japan and the rest of the world, not just China.”

Other than being a cultural icon and role model for youths through his films, Chan is a keen entrepreneur and active philanthropist. With his own line of clothing, fitness centres and eateries, Chan has pledged a portion of his profits to fund various charities apart from his own Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation.

Besides being being a spokesperson for the government of Hong Kong and goodwill ambassador for Unicef, Chan also champions various causes, among them disaster relief efforts, protection against animal abuse, and various educational institutions.

A Jackie Chan museum is also being built in Shanghai.

Catch Jackie Chan in Shinjuku Incident, distributed by Golden Screen Cinemas, and now showing at cinemas nationwide. The movie is rated 18PL.

[GeneChing]

$6 mil HKD is only $774,204.474 USD.

Click the link for a Fan Bingbing photo gallery. Jackie turned 55 last Tuesday.


"Shinjuku Incident" Fan Bingbing covers HK magazine (http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/showbiz/2009-04/10/content_7665905.htm)
(CRI)
Updated: 2009-04-10 10:05

Mainland star Fan Bingbing is on the cover of the April issue of trendy magazine Harper's Bazaar, the Hong Kong version. Fan Bingbing and Jackie Chan starred film "The Shinjuku Incident", has raked in about 6 million H.K. dollar since its opening there on April 2nd. The actress, most commonly known for her appearance, is received by film critics this time for her role in the Japan-backdropped film.

[GeneChing]

...anyone seen this yet?

Daniel Wu - A Vase No More (http://sg.news.yahoo.com/xin/20090429/ten-050-daniel-wu-vase-more-3c1b9bc.html)
Thursday, April 30

Unlike most hunks in the entertainment industry America-born-Chinese, Daniel Wu, prefers to take on villain roles to challenge his acting skills. He is also one of the very few artistes open about his love life in front of media.

Wu plays an illegal immigrant from China in his latest movie The Shinjuku Incident. His character finds work in Japan together with his good friend (Jackie Chan) from their hometown. The timid nature of Wu's country lad character took a 180-degree turn after a run-in with a triad.

Wu said, "The process of change is very sudden, fast and extreme. That makes it difficult to convince or allow the audience to appreciate the change in the character. To portray his change into such a notorious character is really difficult."

A Golden Horse Best Supporting Actor, Wu finds breakthroughs in his own acting skills in The Shinjuku Incident. Winning an award, on the other hand, became insignificant and not as important for him anymore.

"As an actor, it shouldn't be just about awards, it should be about playing your character well. If you get an award for it, that's a bonus. To keep thinking of winning an award is an unhealthy mindset."

Mentor to Wu, Chan wqs also his childhood idol. His career has been soaring since joining Chan's company. It is not hard to notice the admiration and respect that Wu has for his mentor and friend.

"He is still my idol, in fact, our relationship is very special. He was the person who brought me into this line. For the past decade, we have built up a really good relationship. It feels almost like I've been integrated into his family and known him better. In the latest collaboration, we felt almost like father and son, or brothers. Never have I imagined that I would one day be a friend with Jackie. It's beyond a kid's wildest imagination to have his idol become his good friend."

In line with his cheerful and open nature, Wu speaks of his love life freely. He expressed that his girlfriend, Lisa S, and himself are currently focusing on building a career but still manage a very stable relationship.

"We have been together for six years, so I guess our relationship is pretty solid. I feel that we have to take things slowly, so we don't exactly have a marriage plan or when to have children. I feel that love should be organic, more natural, with feeling and chance. Anything can just happen."

With no wedding plans in the pipeline and only career in full focus, Wu shared that he does not plan to venture into Hollywood without a good role, but will continue to pursue the Asian market.

The Shinjuku Incident is currently showing in cinemas.

[GeneChing]

This would make a great double feature with Spy Next Door (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51786). Kidding! Just kidding. ;)

Posted: Tue., Jan. 12, 2010, 7:29am PT
Jackie Chan's 'Incident' heads for U.S. (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118013635.html?categoryid=13&cs=1)
Film to open on 20 screens in 10 U.S. markets
By CLIFFORD COONAN

BEIJING -- Jackie Chan crimer "Shinjuku Incident" has secured theatrical distribution in the U.S. and will open Feb. 5, followed by a Sony Home Entertainment DVD release on May 25.

Pic's producers have partnered with Barking Cow Distribution to release the film in Chinese with English subtitles on 20 screens in 10 U.S. markets with large Chinese communities.

The DVD will offer a choice of either Chinese or English-language and subtitles.

In the pic, which was exec produced by Chan and helmed by Derek Yee, Chan plays an illegal Chinese immigrant trying to survive on the gangster-run streets of Tokyo in the 1990s. Pic also features Daniel Wu, Xu Jinglei and Fan Bingbing.

Pic was nixed by censors in mainland China for its violence and depiction of malcontent mainlanders fleeing to Japan.

[GeneChing]

Read Jackie Chan in His Mid-50s: THE SPY NEXT DOOR and SHINJUKU INCIDENT (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=870) by August West.

[GeneChing]

I've just been contacted by the U.S. distributors. Here's the official U.S. site (http://www.shinjuku-movie.com/home.html).

They provided me with the following list of confirmed theaters so far for the 2/5/2010 release.

Atlanta
AMC Colonial 18
825 Lawrenceville-Suwanee Rd.
Lawrenceville, GA 30043
(770)237-0744

Houston
AMC First Colony 24
3301 Town Centre Blvd.
South Sugar Land, TX 77479
(281)277-5858

Los Angeles
AMC Puente 20
1560 South Azusa Ave.
Rowland Heights, CA 91748
(626)810-7949

Los Angeles
AMC Santa Anita 16
400 Baldwin Ave
Arcadia, CA 91007
(626)321-4265

Los Angeles - Orange County
AMC The Block 30
20 City Blvd West
Orange, CA 92868
(714)769-4288

New York City
AMC Loews Village 7
66 3rd Ave.
New York, NY 10003
(212)982-2116

New Jersey
AMC Loews Ridgefield Park 12
75 Challenger Road
Ridgefield Park, NJ 07660
(201)440-9178

San Francisco
AMC Cupertino 16
10123 N. Wolfe Road
Cupertino, CA 95014
(408)252-5960

San Francisco
AMC Van Ness 14
1000 Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415)674-4630

Seattle
AMC Alderwood 16
18733 33rd Ave. W
Lynnwood, WA 98037
(425)921-2980

[GeneChing]

Ten winners will receive a LIMITED EDITION SHINJUKU INCIDENT POSTER (http://www.kungfumagazine.net/index.html). These are the original Hong-Kong-edition theatrical posters which are out of print. This is only a one-week contest. Entries must be received by 6:00 p.m. PST on 02/10/2010.

Good luck everyone!

[Lucas]

if i win will you sign mine? :D

[enoajnin]

The distributors at the screening said they had added more theaters in the Los Angeles/ Orange county are so you might want to check your local listings

[Hebrew Hammer]

You can also watch it via the web...I just did today...and enjoyed it immensely.

[Lucas]

where do you find things like that to watch them on line?

[Hebrew Hammer]

I'm old so it took me a while to figure this movies online thing but the site I PM'd you works out well.

[GeneChing]

SHINJUKU INCIDENT (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=881) by Greg Lynch Jr. was just posted today. It's double coverage with
Jackie Chan in His Mid-50s: THE SPY NEXT DOOR and SHINJUKU INCIDENT (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=870) by August West, but that piece was more about Jackie and Spy (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51786). This new piece focuses strictly on Shinjuku.

[GeneChing]

See our announcement in our TC Media forum (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=56561).

[GeneChing]

Did anyone see this in the theaters?

The subdued incident (http://honoluluweekly.com/film/current-film/2010/03/the-subdued-incident/)
Jackie Chan’s in another fight for his life with Shinjuku Incident, only this time, there’s less fighting
Dean Carrico
Mar 10, 2010
Jackie Chan, the clown prince of kicking ass, is now 55. Critics have observed that many of his heavily choreographed fight scenes have begun to lose their intensity, which leaves us with the family-friendly Hollywood fare–mostly dreck like the recent The Spy Next Door. By his own contract, Chan’s almost always portrayed as the nice guy. He never curses (save for a scant two films). He even refuses to do sex scenes. The result is that you know what you’re getting into when you buy a ticket that has Jackie Chan on the bill, as it has been the same for more than 100 films now.

Until Shinjuku Incident came along.

Helmed under Chan’s own production company, Shinjuku Incident plays like a Tokyo version of Brian De Palma’s Scarface, without the cursing. Chan plays Steelhead, who arrives in Japan from China during the mass flooding of illegal immigrants in the ’90s. He works some straight jobs amid corruption and racism, lucks into a life of crime and finds he’s quite adept at it. Moving up from stolen phone cards, Steelhead gets involved in gambling scams. Of course, knowing Chan’s reluctance to play bad guys, there’s a glimmer of humanity. He’s doing it for his people, who are oppressed and taken advantage of. He’s using the money to try and open legitimate businesses. It turns out he’s not even an illegal immigrant, but lost his papers in a raid. Now if only there was a way to justify those two killings.

Yes, Supercop whacks somebody. But stranger than seeing the eternal nice guy playing a baddie is watching Chan brood behind the scenes, more Tony Soprano than Tony Montana. Even when things escalate to violence, it’s a different style than what we’re used to. No running up walls or using every household item available to win a fight, instead we see disorganized brawls that spiral out of control, much like Steelhead’s life.

The storyline plays on the moralized rise-and-fall stories told a hundred times before with all the accoutrements, like the cop who feels indebted to the petulant brother who starts to make a mess of the empire Steelhead builds (it’s almost surprising that he doesn’t get a kiss of death sendoff from Chan–that’s how reliant Shinjuku Incident is on other films of this genre). Still, with its rote script comes a subdued, well-done performance from its star and producer. Chan’s not going to win any awards with this film, but like Jean-Claude Van Damme’s performance in 2008’s JCVD, it’s refreshing to see a near-reinvention of an action hero.

[GeneChing]

Jackie Chan in Shinjuku Incident (http://www.dailymirror.lk/print/index.php/life/youth-mirror/137-youth-mirror-image/6014-jackie-chan-in-shinjuku-incident.html)
Monday, 15 March 2010 12:59

Jackie Chan is having a busy schedule with many pictures both in 2009 and 2010. ‘Shinjuku Incident’ is another crime + drama film featuring Jackie Chan.

In the early 1990s, a Chinese tractor mechanic nicknamed Nick (Jackie Chan) enters Japan illegally in search of his fiancée Xiu Xiu. Nick has made the journey on a freighter that sinks before reaching the harbour. Nick manages to reach dry land, avoiding the Japanese police as he tracks down his brother Joe and asks for help. Joe provides food and shelter while Nick looks for a job and searches for his lost love in this strange new city. Joe introduces Nick to some fellow Chinese immigrants and each of them help the newcomer by showing him how the black market and other underworld activities can help him survive. The menial jobs available to them are difficult and pay very little. Nick considers the possibility, but he is not a criminal… yet.

The film was planned for almost 10 years according to director Derek Yee due to Jackie Chan’s busy schedule in their filming of Rush Hour 3. It was heard that this movie was banned in communist China because of the portrayal of Chinese immigrants with sex and violence.

As most movie critics have explained, Jackie Chan is a whole new actor in this film. It is not boring though the humour and superb stunts are not present in the movie. Some say they like Protégé more than this film. Rotten Tomato has rated this film with 59% of positive reviews from critics. Though it is somewhat a conventional movie, the plot of the film will linger after it ends. So it is also a nice movie for fans of jackie and those searching for action.

Before you immediately sigh and click past this trailer just because Jackie Chan is in it, stop and give it a chance in Shinjuku Incident. This is rated as a one of must watch movies of 2010.

Released date: February 5, 2010
"must watch movies of 2010" is bold. I wouldn't have gone that far.

[GeneChing]

Not sure what is going on with the title of this article.

Shinjuku Incident needs (http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ent/movies/mobile/6971362.html)
By AMY BIANCOLLI FILM WRITER
April 22, 2010, 5:08PM
Barking Cow Distribution

Jackie Chan is trying to expand his acting repetoire, but Shinjuku Incident is the wrong vehicle to try this.

Set in 1990s Tokyo, the film centers on how the lives of Chinese immigrants in Japan are affected by the Japanese yakuza, or organized crime

Jackie Chan can do no wrong, with two exceptions. First, when he appears in a movie about a blinged-out tuxedo. And second, when he stars as a murderous gangster with the naïve beneficence of a child.

It just can't be done. Not even by him, and that's saying something, because few actors more perfectly embody butt-kicking inviolability alongside crinkly-eyed niceness. But Shinjuku Incident demands too much of this normally flexible movie star, who puts on the leathery toughness of a Chinese immigrant in Japan like the jacket he dons near the start. Try as he might, strut as he does toward climactic showdowns with ruthless adversaries, his character remains an incongruous muddle. Same goes for the movie.

Directed and written (with Tin Nam Chun) by Hong Kong filmmaker Derek Yee, Shinjuku Incident (or San suk si gin) is set in Tokyo sometime in the 1990s, a period when illegal immigrants arrived in boatloads from China. Chan's character, Steelhead, is a mild-mannered tractor mechanic whose fiancé, Xiu Xiu (Xu Jinglei), disappears in Japan. Eventually he follows her, arriving in a heap on a beach — and promptly killing a border guard.

But Steelhead is a good man. Heroic. Within 20 minutes he's rescued three people, one of them a cop (Naoto Takenaka), whose debt then drives the simplest of several confusing subplots. With the help of his good friend Jie (Daniel Wu), Steelhead enters the catch-as-catch-can world of Chinese illegals in the Shinjuku ward, most of whom take odd jobs sorting garbage while trying to milk a little extra in shady enterprises on the side.

Steelhead, being heroic, at first resists the dark side. But Steelhead, being heroic, can't help himself; he's just too darned nice not to provoke a crime wave for the betterment of his people, even when it risks the sword-wielding fury of the Japanese mafia. Yee's movie heaps on the clichés from the mob-and-molls oeuvre — we find all the stifled love and nauseating violence — but it's undone by dim lighting, poor exposition and bewildering edits. The fight scenes should appeal to fans of hard-hitting action, but they're hard to follow and lack wit.

Released last year in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan, Shinjuku's American release might have benefited from a few more explanatory title cards — telling us that Xiu Xiu had been missing for years, not weeks, or marking off the passage of time after Steelhead's arrival. (A key prop at the climax is a flash drive, a doodad that didn't hit the market until 2000 or so.) Also, I could have used a small hunk of text as an intro, something to explain the squabbling among branches of Tokyo's organized crime syndicates.

After years of kids' films and comic chop-socky, Chan is obviously trying to stretch himself. The plain shock of seeing him in a sex scene, however fleeting, is proof enough that audiences aren't much accustomed to seeing him in mature situations. But he needs a better movie, and he needs a better role.

[GeneChing]

It's been all about Jackie and Karate Kid lately. Our last two online sweepstakes were for THE SPY NEXT DOOR (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51786) & KARATE KID ON BLU-RAY (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=48261).

Enter to win SHINJUKU INCIDENT. (http://www.kungfumagazine.net/index.html) Contest ends 6:00 p.m. PST on 06/24/2010. Good luck everyone!

[Jimbo]

Not sure what is going on with the title of this article.

I disagree with her opinion that the fights are hard to follow. And they aren't supposed to be 'witty'. Much of the violence is supposed to be 'nauseating', it's a gangster movie. And while the violence is pretty extreme for a JC movie, if you compare it to something like Hostel, it's nowhere near as uncomfortable to watch, at least for me. I think the message of the movie is to take away the glamour many associate with gangsters. Obvously, making the fight scenes stylized, overly clear and witty would not have achieved that.

[GeneChing]

See our Shinjuku Incident DVD winners (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1022892) thread.

[GeneChing]

I don't even remember a sex scene in this film.

Nice pic of Jackie (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=902) & Daniel (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=1269). :cool:


Iran TV chief sacked over uncensored Jackie Chan sex scene (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-46720733)
31 December 2018

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/660/cpsprodpb/1142D/production/_105010707_gettyimages-85732777.jpg
GETTY IMAGES
Jackie Chan (L) starred in the film Shinjuku Incident alongside Daniel Wu (R)

Iran's state broadcaster, Irib, has sacked the head of a regional TV channel after it broadcast a Jackie Chan film without removing a sex scene.

A video posted online apparently by a viewer on Kish Island showed the Hong Kong martial arts star having sex with a woman in the film Shinjuku Incident.

Iranian media said the "immoral" scene was aired by Kish TV in "total violation of Irib's regulations".

Physical contact between men and women is not permitted on screen in Iran.

Censors are also said to be required to remove men and women exchanging "tender words or jokes", unveiled women, close-ups of women's faces and exposed necklines, as well as negative portrayals of police and bearded men.

The Tasnim news agency reported that the head of Irib, Aliasgari Ali Askari, had ordered an investigation into the incident and pledged "to seriously deal with the offenders and report them to the relevant authorities".

Some Iranians mocked the broadcaster's response on social media using the hashtag #Kish_channel in Persian.

Some noted that officials had so far avoided dismissal over the fatal bus crash that killed 10 students at Tehran's Islamic Azad University last week.

"Buses turn over, planes crash, ships sink... no-one is dismissed... A few seconds of Jackie Chan making love on Irib and immediately all staff in that section are sacked," wrote one person on Twitter.

[Jimbo]

I don't remember a sex scene in the movie, either. In fact, I can't honestly recall Jaxkie Chan in any sexual situations onscreen beyond an awkward kiss, or briefly rolling around in a bed like a 10 year old with Maggie Cheung (Police Story 3?). JC may have a wife and mistresses in real life, but his onscreen persona around women has been platonic, or like that of an awkward virgin or an uninterested monk.