 Alternative title: San Suk Si Gin
Written and directed by: Tung-Shing Yee
Starring: Jackie Chan as Steelhead, Daniel Wu as Jie, Masaya Kato as Toshinari Eguchi and Bingbing Fan as Lily
The one word that could describe this movie is "conflicting". It was moving and impressive, cinematographically and in the sense of content. However, the really delicate issue, that this film is based on - the Japan/China/Taiwan history, is a very hard matter to grasp for anyone unfamiliar with it. For most Chinese and Japanese people, I'm sure this film had a deep historical meaning and influence, other that just being a drama and meaningful in a specific way, but for any ordinary westerner, the movie definitely has another way of making an impression.
The plot tells us about a Chinese immigrant, Steelhead, who goes to Japan in search of his long-lost childhood sweetheart, Xiu Xiu. Steelhead ends up in between rival gangs and has to choose one side in order to survive. Accidentally, after a brutal incident with his friend, Jie, Steelhead goes looking for revenge and saves the life of gang leader Eguchi, finding himself on that side of the battle. Steelhead goes through an inner struggle, but ends up deciding to help Eguchi kill two other gang leaders, in order to receive legal status in Japan for himself and all of his friends, as well as all Taiwan controlled territories, thus providing for their future.
Looking beyond the Chinese/Japanese conflict story, beyond the Yakuza and culturally based messages, one could easily find a deeper meaning invested in the film. It is a story of metamorphosis and inner conflict, where the main character is unsure whether his actions are right, leaving him overwhelmed by guilt and regret. It is a human story and probably could be portrayed through any other nationality as well.
We might not be used to seeing Jackie Chan in such a dramatic role, but he pulled it off pretty well. His performances in his movie career have been mainly based on Kung Fu skills and humour for so long (just think of Rush Hour, The Tuxedo, the Shanghai movies with Owen Wilson, The Legend of Drunken Master, etc) that it is unnatural for us to see him in another light. And it certainly affects his performance, given that his facial expressions and body language don't really portray deep inner conflict and suffering, as we've seen by so many good drama actors. However, he played the part convincingly, whereby it was believable that that was a man bouncing between peace and vengeance, internally confused about the bloody actions he is supposed to take in search of peace.
The most powerful and dramatic scene, the turning point of the whole plot, was the best and most exquisitely done movie scene I've seen in a while - Jie losing his hand. That was the one moment, after which the metamorphosis of everything began and everyone's life turned dramatically. It changed Jie - the quiet and timid immigrant, too afraid to go outlaw, into a rebellious and hateful gang leader, opposing to Steelhead's peaceful idea of life. It changed Steelhead from the peaceful and calm character, into a revengeful person, which led him to saving Eguchi's life and turned him into the blood-shedding secret weapon of his childhood sweetheart's husband. It changed the lives of everyone involved, transforming them from peaceful workers, just looking for jobs to support their families, into a violent drug-selling Chinese gang. Which then led them to being slaughtered by the vengeful Yakuza in defence of their power.
Very impressive performance by rising star Daniel Wu, good portrayal of the metamorphosis from good to bad with death ending the cycle and shedding light on his deepest pain and regret. We see BingBing Fan again, in a really different light than in Sophie's Revenge (like Ziyi's Sophie and Sayuri portrayals perhaps), showing her actual talent and ability to adjust to different roles and bringing life to her characters.
I can't help but comment on the cinematographic perfection of the movie. From the first scene, I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the landscapes, of the obvious contrast of colours, enforcing the scenes themselves. The really blue sea and sky, with the promise of hope and happiness, absolute excellence in the scenes with Eguchi and his wife or the first meeting between Steelhead and Yuko, and the dark and grey-oriented colours towards the end, when hope disappears and death takes over. Absolute brilliance in Peter Kam's soundtrack, bringing the story to a whole different level of influence, and leaving us utterly touched and conflicted when the credits roll.
*Image source:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrUvOBOdt-iRv1jvKo1XdCUVopcx3mdeGbKGI3s2NpEdA5c0TEsB1d6rWfeTfnlEZDG4g297w52BfxNeAyJuFgr-j6n_vZIrpNHONxooo6l2dUuj2U1JFCwiVy1V40a9cfIrb9h3mh0Xg/s1600/ShinjukuIncident.jpgLabels: cueafs, east asian film, movie reviews |
