Okay, Jackie Chan fans, now is the time to get excited. Perhaps recognizing that his career is sputtering badly both at home and abroad, Chan has decided that now is the time to break from his comfort zone and do something a little different. And that thing is Derek Yee's Shinjuku Incident, in which Chan tackles the most purely dramatic lead role of his career in an effort to prove that he's more than just a human stunt machine. And if you're going to try and break new ground, Yee - the acclaimed director of One Night In Mongkok and certainly the highest caliber director Chan has ever worked with - is a good one to do it with.
We brought a YouTube'd version of the trailer to this one - replete with crappy video quality and constant narration from a television broadcast - a few days back not because that version presented the film at its best but because that was all there was to draw from. Well, no more. The official website has just received a full makeover and included in a much higher quality version of the trailer complete with English subtitles and no TV talking heads. And this is looking good.
In the film - which, judging from the April release date announced on the site has cleared up its censorship board issues - Chan plays Steelhead, a Chinese migrant worker living in Tokyo's underground economy, an honest man drawn into a battle with local yakuza crime lords. Daniel Wu and Fan Bingbing also star. Check the trailer out below the break!
Can't say i'm excited, but it doesn't look bad. I'll give it the benefit of doubt.
Damn.
Finally a serious Jackie Chan film. It looks somewhat interesting too, though I'm not sold on it quite yet.
Looks pretty silly, especially the opening of this trailer and the shot of Jackie crying. I don't think Jackie will be great as a dramatic actor, but the other actors in this may compensate.
I'd love to see something serious from Jackie Chan (Island of Fire anyone), but he is awful in dramatic roles like in New Police Story.
considering the director and the other people involved, and that its not solely based around jackie chan (i.e. action comedy cuz of chan being in the film) it looks like it could be pretty good. its the same director that did protege(moon to) which i havent seen yet but i have heard its good and also that film is getting a rerelease on dragon dynasty, which means its probly a pretty good film. so hope that shinjuku will be decent.
"Apologise! Apologise!"
Fan Bing-bing and Derek Yee have me interested and it may end up being Jackie's best film in some time.
"certainly the highest caliber director Chan has ever worked with"
...but but Lau Kar Leung!!