Waste of time

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Bit of a surprise this film. Recorded it as was a Jackie Change film. Seen numerous of his films over the years when I was a kid, but tended to avoid his latest stuff which was just dirge. This though looked and sounded different.Note, there's no martial arts, there's no comedy and there's no 'Jackie'. He practically doesn't even smile. Instead we have Jackie Chan playing it straight as an illegal immigrant to Japan from China, aiming to make a living. Up against it, he and his cohorts get tangled up in the local mafia problems, and find that crime is their only way to survive. Some though have their limits, others don't know when to stop.This was an interesting enough movie, and Jackie Chan shows he has good acting ability away from his comedy family friendly fare. Ably assisted by a good ensemble and some good cinematography, the whole piece is well put together.Yet it still lacks something. It doesn't help that despite the change, Jackie Chan is still at the end playing the little guy with a heart and soul. There could have been a bit better developed story too. It wasn't bad but nothing special, yet was still good. Reverting to type for Jackie Chan's character in the last quarter was not a good move I think.It's a fair film, and if you like your Asian gangster movies then this is not a bad choice. For Jackie Chan it was nice to see a change, but it's also a lost opportunity too.

SHINJUKU INCIDENTI had never heard of this before I saw it advertised on the TV... but I do love Jackie Chan so had to see it.This film is about a guy from China who fixes tractors for a living. His fiancée moves to Japan to realise her dream job and to make money, but when she doesn't come back and he doesn't hear from her, he decides to immigrate to Japan to find her. When he gets there he finds that she is involved with the Japanese mafia.It is a very good story which is well written and played out. Jackie does a great job as he does in most of his films, but there are a few actors that I thought were not great.This film is not English spoken and is subtitled, but that doesn't bother me. I believe some of the best movies ever made are Japanese. I am a huge fan of Japanese horror movies. I love Ring, Battle Royale and Versus mostly. I will watch them again soon and review them for you.This film does have one thing different from other Jackie Chan movies... his fighting style was missing from this film. There were not many choreographed fighting scenes.Jackie plays the character with feeling. I felt sorry for his character. I thought he had a rough start to life in Japan and everything he wanted he couldn't get.My favourite character in the movie was a guy called Jie. I felt so bad for him through the movie... and even at the end... i felt so bad for him. This character was played by Daniel Wu. A very good actor.There were some very brutal scenes in the film which I loved. I do love a bit of violence in a film if the setting is right. There were a few scenes with some gore... and mostly it looked good. There was one scene though where this guys guts fell out and it looked so fake. The colour was not right and it looked like the guy just dropped some paint instead of guts.I will give this film 6 out of 10.I enjoyed it, but Jackie has made better movies.For more reviews, please like my Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ordinary-Person-Movie- Reviews/456572047728204?ref=hl

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.

Early on Jackie figured out what he did best and gave it to a public which ate it up.What to do now that an ageing body isn't up to the trademark stunts of his earlier movies? It seems his answer is to develop a new 'persona'. Unfortunately, it's a little beyond his range right now. But, given time and a few more roles, he may learn to act.John Travolta and Frank Sinatra both developed into fine actors late in their careers. There was no sign of that in their earlier films.Jackie needs to develop a new formula - not step into a formula role which is not suited to him. Otherwise, there will be more disappointments.