Taraparain Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

Invaderbank The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Bea Swanson This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Paynbob It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

loevw If you want deep, realistic drama this movie is for you. If it's action you're looking for, you'll be disappointed. I admit that I couldn't finish watching this movie and got rid of the blu-ray. The violence depicted is too unpleasant for my taste and I prefer martial arts instead, which is what I expected from Jackie Chan. Credit must go to him for the acting as he's showing he can put on a convincing performance in a serious role. I think this movie will appeal to a specific audience though, if that's you, you'll probably rate it much higher.

Paul Magne Haakonsen Well, as an avid fan of Jackie Chan, it was with some interest that I acquired this movie, especially after having read the synopsis for the storyline. So I was quite anxious to watch this movie.And now having seen it, I must admit that this is indeed a different Jackie Chan movie, albeit it is not the best of his movies. And by that I mean that this movie is different from the traditional and usual slapstick action comedies that Jackie Chan is known for. This movie is darker and more mature - more serious in nature and its story.In "The Shinjuku Incident", Jackie Chan, plays Steelhead, an illegal immigrant from China seeking to make a life in Japan. However, as an illegal immigrant, work is scarce, and often only the work that the Japanese themselves do not want to do, is available for the Chinese immigrants. Tensions run high and gangs are striving to make a living and carve out names for themselves. The gods of luck and fortune shine their grace upon the Chinese immigrants, but is that particular line of work worth the effort?"The Shinjuku Incident" is a more raw, brutal and 'realistic' movie, standing out from Jackie Chan's usual repertoire of movies. Especially as he is not a super martial artist practitioner in this movie. And it was actually quite a nice change of pace to see him in a role and a movie like this. It is quite a radical change of movie genre and character style for Jackie Chan, but it works out quite well.There is a good handful of actors and actresses on the cast list to this movie. Xu Jinglei playing Xiu Xiu/Yuko Eguchi did a great job along side Jackie Chan. Naoto Takenaka playing Inspector Kitano also stood out with his performance. I am not overly much fan of Daniel Wu, but in some movies he does a great job, "The Shinjuku Incident" is, however, not one of those movies. His character is plain and turns to worse after having his hand chopped off. Plus his acting wasn't particularly enthusiastic here."The Shinjuku Incident" is a great addition to the Jackie Chan legacy, as well as to the DVD collection of any fans of him. It is uncompromising, different, bold and hard-hitting.

mrandocalrissian Fans of Jackie Chan will know that the great man is no stranger to the gang scene. However, his experiences in the entertaining "Shinjuku Incident" cover a side to the genre which has, until now, not been seen in his previous work. Indeed, "Shinjuku Incident" probably owes more to a film like "Scarface" than anything from Chan's back-catalogue and the gritty, uncompromising world his character finds himself in is unlike any other he has seen.This is the story of Steelhead (Jackie Chan), a Chinese labourer who immigrates illegally to Japan in hope of finding an estranged girlfriend, Xiu Xiu (Jinglei Xu). However, though serving as the underlying motivation for his arrival in Japan, this mission is quickly replaced by the more immediate concerns of finding work. Through his eyes, we are taken around the back-alleys and black markets of Japan, a seedy and violent world run by Taiwanese mobsters and Yakuza crime-bosses. Though the actions of Steelhead and the other Chinese start out ostensibly unrelated to the schemes of these larger gangs, they very quickly find themselves treading on the wrong feet. When fellow immigrant Jie (Jack Gao) is attacked, Steelhead seeks revenge – a decision that changes the fates of Steelhead and his gang, and places them right in the middle of a Yakuza power struggle, all the time being watched closely by the snooping Police Inspector Kitano (Naoto Takenaka).It all sounds very typical for a gangland script and it could have been easy for director Tung-Shing Yee to over-focus on action to the detriment of the story but he doesn't, and with Jackie Chan turning in a solid performance as the good-guy-in-a-bad-situation, there is enough emotional connectivity here to elevate "Shinjuku Incident" above the dross. It is reassuringly even-handed on the sensitive issue of immigration; whilst links between illegal immigrants and criminal activity are mooted, the first half of the movie especially highlights how they are both exploited and trapped, all in the quest for a better life. Unfortunately this message does waver at times in the latter half, as some characters undergo radical character transformation, notably the character of Jei who moves from being a timid, out-of-his- depth victim to being a cartoonish Cruella-deVille-meets-"Beyond the Thunderdome"-esque parody of corrupting power. A few story elements become strangely ignored, not least the relationship between Steelhead and a female bar-owner (Bingbing Fan) whose character seemed explicitly created to act as translator between Steelhead and the Yakuza, and whilst I applauded the resistance to any form of "Hollywood"-ending, it was difficult to come away without feeling that there were some very noticeable threads left loose. The camera-work is fresh, with lots of well-constructed internal shooting, although the climactic fight between the Chinese and Yakuza was too poorly lit and needlessly chaotic for my tastes. The soundtrack was standard Hong Kong fare. Overall, "Shinjuku Incident" is a watchable film that deals with a very real issue and kept my attention piqued throughout. The acting is solid and the message bold, with some refreshing social commentary on the relationship between illegal immigration and crime. Though there are some particularly gritty and violent moments, the action is surprisingly small throughout and really overshadowed by some powerfully-charged scenes between the ever-sympathetic protagonist and his fellow underworld prisoners. Though the film never quite does enough to be considered totally recommendable, it is engaging and interesting enough to hold the attention of most viewers and I am glad to have caught it on TV.

Angelus2 Steelhead arrives in Shinjuku from China in hopes of finding the woman he loves. But his innocent world is soon tainted with crime and bloodshed as well as heartbreak.If you are expecting a Kung-Fu movie...Wrong film. This is about Jackie's acting skills, and he demonstrates that he actually is a fantastic actor who can play heart wrenching roles just as well as the Kung-Fu funny man. I honestly loved the story of Steelhead pursuit to be reunited with his lover, and when he finds out that she is with another man, he descends into the world of organised crime, threatening the Yakuza.There are flaws in the film, the second half is a let down with Daniel Wu taking on the look of a 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' character. But apart from that there is not a bad actor among the cast, everyone gives a hundred percent...Yes, there are a lot of characters, which is another flaw, but you look past that and focus on Steelhead.The last Jackie Chan movie I watched was Rush Hour 3, and I just felt that his heart was no longer in mindless fighting films..I'd seen the genius of his intellect as he combined comedy with kung-fu in his earlier films...And this has re-invented him...Good job Jackie!