Jackie Chan's darkest film yet is a quality piece of drama exploring life within Japan's Yakuza gangs. It's a very atypical film for the star, better known these days for his kid-friendly fare in American family films. For fans of Asian thrillers, the gangster elements will be largely familiar, but they're introduced in a novel and interesting way; it's the first film I've seen detailing the plight of Chinese refugee immigrants in Japan.

The twisty-turny plot offers up many twists that are difficult to predict, and the on-screen action is never less than interesting. Jackie gets the opportunity to focus on his acting rather than his martial arts for a change, and he shines as the conflicted farmhand-turned-gangster. Although this isn't an action film per se, there are many memorable set-pieces, not least a large-scale climax that makes for riveting entertainment.

The film's well-shot, if a little dark, and features decent turns from actors in supporting roles (Japanese actors Naoto Takenaka and Masaya Kato are both excellent). Daniel Wu's character in the film undergoes a particularly frightening and believable transformation. The scenes of violence and torture may not be for every viewer's taste, but THE SHINJUKU INCIDENT is a rewarding experience for those viewers exploring Jackie's progression as an actor.

Tietou/Steelhead/Nick (Jackie Chan) leaves his rural Chinese village to search for his love Xiu Xiu who had disappeared in Japan. He travels illegally on a freighter but he cannot return home after an incident. With his friend Jie/Joe, they try to survive on the fringe. He saves Detective Kitano's life in a raid. He discovers that Xiu Xiu/Yuko Eguchi had married Yakuza leader Eguchi who is more open-minded than other Yakuza. He starts to build a Chinese pretty crime family but Jie would rather have a roasted chestnut cart. Taiwanese triad leader Gao discovers tampering in his pachinko machine and savagely cuts up Jie. He sneaks in to avenge Jie but overhears a plot to kill Eguchi. He saves Eguchi's life and he is given territories to control. He tries to govern within the law and puts Jie in charge of new people. The years pass by and the gang becomes corrupt. He tries to give himself up to Kitano. Jie becomes more brutal and Yakuza boss authorizes the overthrow of Eguchi.

Jackie Chan's character is way too moral. His desperate goodness feels clunky. It's nowhere near the silliness of 'Rumble in the Bronx' but the attempted grittiness is betrayed at almost every point in the story. The violence gets a little bloody but feels limited. The big action scene is the bad guys throwing rocks. I do want Jackie Chan to branch out into more gritty and less kung fu fighting action. This is not quite there although I like the attempt.

In China, the poor worker Nick (Jackie Chan) works repairing tractors and misses his sweetheart Xiu Xiu (Jinglei Xu) that moved to Japan and has never sent any news to her family or him. While illegally emigrating to Japan, Nick loses his Chinese documents; therefore his journey would have no return to his country. He is welcomed by his countrymen that lodge and help him to find illegal work in Shinjuku. While running from a police raid in the sewage system where Chinese are illegally working, Nick saves Inspector Kitano (Naoto Takenaka) from drowning in the dirty water. Later, after an incident with his cousin Joe (Daniel Wu) and the Taiwan gang, Nick saves the powerful Yakuza boss Toshinari Eguchi (Masaya Kato) and husband of Xiu Xiu, who is now called Yuko and has a little daughter with Eguchi. The mobster offers a dirty job to Nick; in retribution, he promises to deliver the quarter dominated by the Taiwan gang to him. Nick becomes the boss of the Chinese illegal immigrants; however he loses control of his countrymen, leading the Chinese gang to a tragic end.

"San Suk Si Gin" is a surprisingly great Yakuza movie that discloses the raise and fall of a poor illegal immigrant with warming-heart in an environment of corruption, betrayal and greed. I dare to say that the storyline is very similar to 1983 "Scarface", now set in place in an exotic neighborhood. The anti-hero Jackie Chan is a contradictory man with good principles that loses his innocence in a hostile environment and is capable of murdering to improve his and his countrymen's lives. My only remark is the ridiculous Brazilian DVD released by the distributor Califórnia Filmes that does not offer the original languages (Cantonese, Mandarin and Japanese) but only awfully versions dubbed in English or Portuguese instead. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Massacre no Bairro Chines" ("Massacre in the Chinese Quarter")