Shinjuku Incident

Aroview: Jackie Chan turns serious for this gritty, nocturnal gangland drama centered around a Chinese immigrant who is unintentionally drawn into Tokyo’s crime underworld.

Touching on deep-seated resentment between China and Japan, Chan finds himself on the wrong side of territorial Yakuza, and conflict ensues. Those anticipating the kung fu star’s trademark acrobatics might want to look else where though, with a rundown Jackie forgoing his goofy schtick for a grislier take on street violence (it remains banned in Mainland China for this reason). Similarly, dir. Yee (ONE NIGHT IN MONGKOK) shoots Tokyo’s metropolis in downbeat and sinister tones, managing to keep the film’s occasional slippages into cheesiness beneath the shadows.