Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Shinjuku Incident Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 19, 2009

Yee Tung-Shing's shockingly graphic crime drama "Shinjuku Incident" (2009) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Joy Sales Films and Video Distribution. All of the supplemental features accompanying the film are placed on a separate Region-3 SDVD. The Blu-ray disc is English-friendly but Region-A "locked".

Chased

Shinjuku Incident is a surprisingly violent film that apparently caused all sorts of problems after it was screened at the Hong Kong International Film Festival earlier this year. Chinese authorities reportedly limited its exposure to a very small number of theaters.

The story of Shinjuku Incident takes place in Tokyo, where a young Chinese immigrant, Steelhead (Jackie Chan, Armour of God II: Operation Condor), begins looking for his loved one, Xiuxiu (Xu Jinglei, The Warlords). He befriends Jie (Daniel Wu, Legend of the Black Scorpion) and Old Ghost (Suet Lam, Sparrow), who are also in Tokyo illegally.

Jie and Old Ghost quickly teach Steelhead how to survive on the streets of the Japanese capital. They help him get a job at a massive dumpster where he witnesses a terrible incident. The event forces Steelhead to realize that without papers immigrant life could be a very unpleasant experience.

Steelhead sees Xiuxiu at a chic Japanese restaurant where she is accompanied by a respected Yakuza boss, Eguchi (Masaya Kato, Brother). She has a different name now, Yuko, and a child. As she walks away from the restaurant, her eyes meet Steelhead’s eyes. Later on, Eguchi asks Yuko about Steelhead.

This is where the story of Shinjuku Incident gets a bit complicated. Earlier in the film, Steelhead quickly helps inspector Kitano (Naoto Takenaka, Shall We Dance?) from the Tokyo Police Department, who falls in a giant sewer and nearly drowns. This man appears again after Jie has his hand cut off by a group of Taiwanese goons who decide to punish him because he strikes a conversation with the daughter of a restaurant owner who pays them for protection. Steelhead and Old Ghost’s friends – the majority of them illegal Chinese immigrants – confront the Taiwanese goons and all hell breaks loose. During the confrontation, Steelhead learns that the Taiwanese goons, backed by an influential Yakuza faction, are planning to kill Eguchi and his men.

Steelhead saves Eguchi’s life. Shortly after, he is allowed to organize the Chinese immigrants and set up a profitable business. Egushi also guarantees that Steelhead’s men would not be bothered by other Asian gangs. However, many of Eguchi’s own men oppose his decision. They fear that the Chinese would grow strong and eventually would challenge them. Inspector Kitano appears visits Steelhead and warns him that his union with Egushi would cause all sorts of problems. When Jie starts dealing drugs with Eguchi behind Steelhead’s back, and some of the most prominent Yakuza bosses agree to oust Eguchi because of his dealings with Streelhead and his men, inspector Kitano’s words prove true.

The presence of legendary HK action star Jackie Chan as well as a strong group of supporting actors should convince many to see Shinjuku Incident. Chan is excellent as the Chinese immigrant Steelhead, though many of his hardcore fans will likely be surprised by his character’s complex personality. Suet Lam, Daniel Wu, and especially veteran Japanese actor Naoto Takenaka impress as well.

While there are a number of individual scenes that work quite well, as a whole Shinjuku Incident isn’t overly persuasive. The abundance of subplots, for instance, is notably distracting. The graphic violence is also suitable for parts of the film, but elsewhere it feels redundant.

Cinematographer Nobuyasu Kita’s (Takashi Miike’s Crows Zero II) contribution should grant him access to other high-profile projects. Award-winning composer Peter Kam’s (The Warlords) score is surprisingly strong.

Shinjuku Incident Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Yee Tung-Shing's Shinjuku Incident arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based Joy Sales Films and Video Distribution.

The Blu-ray transfer looks solid. Contrast is excellent, clarity very good and detail impressive. The color-scheme is quite strong as well. Yellows, greens, blues, reds, browns, blacks and whites are lush and well saturated. There are a number of nighttime scenes in this film where the colorful neon lights look absolutely remarkably good. Edge-enhancement and macroblocking are not a serious issue of concern. There are only a few scenes where a noticed a big of mild edge-enhancement popping up, but I am convinced that you would not be annoyed with it. This being said, I spotted a bit of digital noise during the second half of Shinjuku Incident. There is one scene in particular where its presence is very easy to detect – the digital noise pops up right after the Japanese gangsters attack Steelhead's men and then kill Jie. Finally, aside from a few minor flecks, there are absolutely no large debris, scratches, or stains that that I detected. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" disc. Therefore, in order to access its content, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player).

Shinjuku Incident Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, Cantonese LPCM 7.1, and Cantonese Dolby TrueHD 7.1. I opted for the DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track and later on did a few random comparisons with the other two tracks for the purpose of this review.

At this point, I believe it is fair to say that Hong Kong distributors are doing with their Blu-ray releases exactly what many people thought every distributor should be doing – offering advanced audio tracks with the three major codecs. For that, they are to be commended.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track is not overly aggressive, but it is very effective. The bass is powerful and rich, the rear channels intelligently used, and the high frequencies not overdone. There are quite a few actions scenes in Shinjuku Incident where you would notice some neat effects in your surround channels (for example, the stone cannonade). Award-winning composer Peter Kam's score is also treated well. Additionally, the dialog is crisp, clear and very easy to follow. It is also well balanced with the music. For the record, there are no disturbing pops, cracks, hissings, or dropouts that I detected. All in all, the Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track is very solid, and I believe that the majority of you will be pleased with it.

I tested a few selected scenes to see how the Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track fares with the Cantonese LPCM 7.1 track and the Dolby TrueHD 7.1 track. Frankly, I don't hear much of a difference between the three. Dynamically, they appear to be identical. The dialog is also comparably crisp and clear and all three of them.

Please note that the Hong Kong distributors have provided optional English, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Bahasa (Malaysia), and Bahasa (Indonesia) subtitles. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

Shinjuku Incident Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Please note that all of the supplemental features are placed on a Region-3 SDVD. Therefore, you won't be able to view them on North American Region-A PS3s and SAs; you must have a Region-Free BD or SDVD player. All of the supplemental features are subtitled in English, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese.

Making of - a standard featurette in which cast and crew members share their thoughts about the film. Raw footage from the film's shooting is included. (17 min).

Trailer - (2 min).

Teaser - (1 min).

International trailer - (2 min).

TV Spots - 15, 20, and 30-second spots.

Alternate scenes - three scenes (4 min).

Booklet - a lavish booklet with collectible cards. Unfortunately, I am unable to comment on the articles in the booklet as I am not fluent in Chinese.

Shinjuku Incident Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Shinjuku Incident is an interesting film that I believe many would agree with me could have been a lot better. The key ingredients for a solid crime drama are definitely here, but there is a lot more that this film wants to be. I am afraid this is precisely the reason why some of you will dislike it. I plan on watching it again very soon to see how it will resonate with me the second time around. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of Joy Sales Films and Video Distribution, looks and sounds very good. Recommended.