San suk si gin (The Shinjuku Incident) (2009)

60% of critics liked it
(5 reviews)
67% of users liked it
(10,436 ratings)

A simple Chinese immigrant wages a perilous war against one of the most powerful criminal organizations on the planet in this sprawling action drama directed by Derek Yee (One Night in Mongkok) and starring Jackie Chan, Daniel Wu, and Masaya Kato. In Japan, foreign migrants are shunned by mainstream… More A simple Chinese immigrant wages a perilous war against one of the most powerful criminal organizations on the planet in this sprawling action drama directed by Derek Yee (One Night in Mongkok) and starring Jackie Chan, Daniel Wu, and Masaya Kato. In Japan, foreign migrants are shunned by mainstream society. Taunted by the yakuza, they live in constant fear of being discovered and repatriated. Into this world ventures Steelhead (Chan), a humble tractor repairman who has traveled to Tokyo in search of his missing girlfriend, Xiu Xiu (Xu Jinglei), who vanished into thin air shortly after arriving in the city. After locating his brother Joe (Daniel Wu), Steelhead discovers that Xiu Xiu has adapted a Japanese identity and married up-and-coming yakuza chief Eguchi (Masaya Kato), with whom he forms an uneasy alliance. Over time, Steelhead earns the respect of his fellow Chinese immigrants by establishing a place for them to gather. But the dark side still beckons to Steelhead, because after helping Eguchi dispense with a powerful rival, he is granted full control of Shinjuku's most popular nightspots. Resistant to the allure of the criminal lifestyle, Steelhead discovers a new love and opens a tractor-repair business just outside the city. When Eguchi begins using Steelhead's former compatriots as pawns to front the yakuza's drug trade, the vengeful immigrant returns to the city determined to exact justice, even if it means destroying the future of the woman he once loved. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 59 min.
Directed By: Tung-Shing Yee
Written By: Chun Tin-nam
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure, Art House & International

In Theaters: Mar 1, 2009 Wide
On DVD: Jun 8, 2010
Studio: Columbia Pictures

Critic Reviews

Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle
Try as he might, strut as he does toward climactic showdowns with ruthless adversaries, [Chan's] character remains an incongruous muddle. Same goes for the movie.
Brian Miller, Village Voice
Shinjuku Incident forgoes flashy action scenes in favor of old-fashioned moralism. Warner Bros. could have made it in the 1930s, and that's a compliment.
Jeremy Heilman, MovieMartyr.com
Shinjuku Incident strains for social significance, but it is too timidly produced to risk depicting any recognizable reality.
Sean Axmaker, Seanax.com
It's more social drama than gangster movie, but there is plenty of violence, all of it of a furiously sloppy and savage nature of street thugs.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Justin Y

Shinjuku Incident is a Hong Kong crime thriller that isn't new to director Tung-Shing Yee. There is just nothing that stands out about it.The story isn't anything special, despite the fact that there is some meat to it. Still, the pacing of this… More
Shinjuku Incident is a Hong Kong crime thriller that isn't new to director Tung-Shing Yee. There is just nothing that stands out about it.The story isn't anything special, despite the fact that there is some meat to it. Still, the pacing of this picture is slow to moderate and with a run time of just under 2 hours, this isn't exactly a fun sit through.As with any other yakuza gangster type film, Shinjuku Incident has its fair share of violence and action. It comes in the form of typical beatings and gang clashes. This is NOT Jackie Chan martial arts and stunt work. This is far from it.Jackie Chan is hit or miss in this film. He is OK when involved in the gangster activities and looking out for his friends. On the other hand, he disappoints when it comes to the love triangle storyline. In the meantime, Naoto Takenaka, Masaya Kato, and Fan Bingbing produce good supporting performances, while Daniel Wu goes through an interesting metamorphosis throughout the film.Shinjuku Incident is a movie more for Hong Kong crime thrillers than Jackie Chan fanatics. Take a chance on it.
Dean M

Great Jackie Chan crime drama movie that he gets to show off acting chops as well, with a few kicks and punches thrown in as well. That's what it is graphic brutal violence in some action scenes. The acting is above average. Chan delivers a standout performance, an illegal… More
Great Jackie Chan crime drama movie that he gets to show off acting chops as well, with a few kicks and punches thrown in as well. That's what it is graphic brutal violence in some action scenes. The acting is above average. Chan delivers a standout performance, an illegal worker who tries to protect his kinsman by gaining respect by and protecting themselves from the Yakuza. Another great performance comes by Daniel Wu, a fellow immigrant who gets his innocence lost... the hard way. The two love interests and the detective also get props too.
Khris N

Im probably being a little generous with the four stars, because even though this is a really good movie, it does come amongst a host of recent Hong Kong gangster flicks, and somehow, I dont feel this has pushed the boundaries - it doesnt really stand out amongst the other modern… More
Im probably being a little generous with the four stars, because even though this is a really good movie, it does come amongst a host of recent Hong Kong gangster flicks, and somehow, I dont feel this has pushed the boundaries - it doesnt really stand out amongst the other modern classics like Election 1 and 2, Fatal Move and SPL. But this seriously has the opportunity to be an epic, like a HK Gangs of New York... but it didn't get there. For those who love Jackie, like me, should appreciate the other side to his comic talents and kung fu mastery, as with movies like New Police Story. It shows that he really can act beyond comedy. Supported by a really good cast, set in Tokyo, in the famed Shinjuku District, mixing a humble love story with muderous gangters, innocence and guilt, love and betrayl, and in the underworld, nearly everyone loses. Jackie plays a farmer/diesel mechanic, who illegal migrates to Japan to find his girlfriend who has disappeared. Working hard to earn a living, he finally realises that his girl has married a Yakuza Boss, and the Chinese immigrants were being roughed by the local gangster groups. Vowing to help the Chinese and establish order, he decides to forge a temporary alliance with a Yakuza boss and take over the enemy turf for the Chinese immigrants. But when he finally leaves the illegality behind, he finds that he is pulled into the underworld again, where he and everyone else is being betrayed by each other for power and money... and the only person who wants none of it is Jackie. Even though it is not a unqiue concept, the ideals and characters are very unique, the storytelling is heavy drama, but watchable as we see Jackie's character evolve, and his heart split between two women, his loyalty split between his personal life and his countrymen. Its enjoyable if you're into gangster thrillers, but dont expect a kung fu komedy fest... this is far from it. The violence is graphic, but its kinda tame compared to SPL and Fatal Move... the gangster themes are strong, but the enemity and underworld "sense" are far stronger in Election - but that was probably due to a stellar cast. Its a movie certainly in the middle... and I think why its because it needed ratings approval and tried to avoid censorship troubles. The movie wasn't released in China either. Enjoy!
Donnie D

It been a while since I've reviewed a Jackie Chan movie so I decided to check out his first dramatic role without any fighting. I'm happy to say even without his Martial Art skills Chan is still great actor. The Shinjuku Incident is about Tietou repairs who misses his… More
It been a while since I've reviewed a Jackie Chan movie so I decided to check out his first dramatic role without any fighting. I'm happy to say even without his Martial Art skills Chan is still great actor. The Shinjuku Incident is about Tietou repairs who misses his sweetheart Xiu Xiu, back in Japan, she having never sent any news to her family or him. While illegally emigrating to Japan, Tietou loses his Chinese documents and so cannot return to his country. He is welcomed by his countrymen who lodge and work in Shinjuku where they also help him to find illegal work. Now the story is easier to follow compare to a similar Johnnie To Triad movie Election, just because the story is easier to follow doesn't make it superior. For one the movie really doesn't go into detail into how the crime organization system works and it's not as complex or as interesting as it is in Election. What it does benefits from is Chan finally plays a character that gets allot character development which makes Tietou the most fleshed out character Chan ever played. We also get many subplots that work well getting you closer to it characters, but some of the subplots aren't as interesting as they could have been and some characters are easily forgettable. This has to be one of Chan best dramatic performance ever. He's so dedicated to playing this character who isn't invincible and is more realistic than most of Chan roles that you forget the guy knows Martial Art. The supporting cast is good, but they don't perform at the level as Chan does. Which is really disappointing because Chan does a great job bringing his character, Tietou, to life and I didn't feel the rest of the cast were truly dedicated to there characters. One thing I love about this movie is the atmosphere, thanks to it location you really get a feel for the world and people around it. You actually feel like it's a real world in the movie. The Shinjuku Incident may have it flaws in it story and Chan is the only actor you feel like actually put any effort into his role. Chan proves that he could do more than just fight, he proves he can carry a dramatic very successfully and I can't wait to see him in more dramatic roles.
Fascade F

Awesome, totally awesome crime story that puts the emphasis on one man that as an immigrant...comes into this country looking for his lost love. Only to not only find himself caught up in a war between his Chinese brothers and the Japanese Yakuza, but also the police and Immigration… More
Awesome, totally awesome crime story that puts the emphasis on one man that as an immigrant...comes into this country looking for his lost love. Only to not only find himself caught up in a war between his Chinese brothers and the Japanese Yakuza, but also the police and Immigration want to have him deported as well. The choices he has made, placed him in a situation where being a follower would not help him in any way at all. This is the first Jackie Chan role I have seen him play the villain but still comes out as a role model for the very same people that turns against him in the end. Please see this, it is most definitely one to remember!
Steven V

Jackie Chan has been known to audiences worldwide for his spectacular, comedic and stunt-filled martial arts. Well, now in this movie, Jackie Chan gets to show off acting chops as well, with a few kicks and punches thrown in as well. The setting… More
Jackie Chan has been known to audiences worldwide for his spectacular, comedic and stunt-filled martial arts. Well, now in this movie, Jackie Chan gets to show off acting chops as well, with a few kicks and punches thrown in as well. The setting and story are surprisingly solid and well done. The movie paces along in a brisk pace (courtesy of director Derek Yee), and is gripping throughout. The cinematography is beautiful at times and gritty at others, showing Tokyo as a whole. While the level of violence is the highest than any other Jackie Chan movie (there is graphic brutal violence in some action scenes), the total amount of violence is surprisingly little, with the majority of the movie dealing with the characters' trials and tribulations. There are some fight sequences, but don't expect Jackie Chan to do his usual thing, at times he's down to earth and makes us genuinely feel for his character, at times he is directly brutal. The acting is above average. Jackie Chan delivers a standout performance, an illegal worker who tries to protect his kinsman by gaining respect by and protecting themselves from the Yakuza. Another great performance comes by Daniel Wu, a fellow immigrant who gets his innocence lost in the hard way. The two love interests, Bingbing Fan and Jinglei Xu, and the detective, Naoto Takenaka, also get props too. For those of you expecting another Jackie Chan romp ala Rush Hour and Supercop, you may find yourself refreshed at Jackie Chan's sudden change of pace. For those who like crime dramas such as City of God, give this one a shot. This is definitely one of Jackie Chan's highest marks.
Anthony V

In an atypical move, Jackie turns to drama rather than martial arts moves. Still plenty of action and a great supporting cast including Daniel Wu and Fan Bingbing help move an interesting story, but has some trouble discerning whether it is a drama (which it is in the first half) or… More
In an atypical move, Jackie turns to drama rather than martial arts moves. Still plenty of action and a great supporting cast including Daniel Wu and Fan Bingbing help move an interesting story, but has some trouble discerning whether it is a drama (which it is in the first half) or a gangster action film (the second half). Still has more to watch here than most of what is being pumped out in Hollywood.