Customer Reviews

Tokyo Raiders [VHS]

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is really cool, comfortable, chewy pop movie. It has a great cast (I only know Tony Leung, Ekin Cheng, Kelly Chen and Cecilia Chung, but I understand the Japanese actors in this movie are pretty big in their own country.) It's an example of HK cinema at it's flashiest. I don't get why people think the story is so difficult. I mean, the movie has three (at least) double-crosses. I imagine any director would have a hard time with that, so Jingle Ma did what I think suited his style and just made them "secondary." You watch this movie for the great chemistry between the three leads, the great action and style, and Kelly:) The DVD includes a Making-Of thing that is actually very interesting. What can I say, I've watched this movie fifty times. A quick note, it only has Cantonese and English dubbing, so all you fellow Mandarin Chinese people out there try and find a different version. My ears have only kind of gotten used to the Cantonese after fifty viewings. Lastly, the first scene in this movie is alone worth the price of admission, with Tony beating up some Japanese baddies in style with this really weird but catchy J-Pop soundtrack in the back.

The beginning to this movie is quite bizzare. You are introduced to the three main characters of the movie, and you are misled or make the wrong assumptions, about the relationship between these three characters. It is actually quite cunning. I'll let you find out for yourself.

The story is basicially a Chinese girl gets jilted by a Japanese boy. Girl travels to Japan and tries to find boy, with a bit of *unwanted* help along the way. It very quickly shows that there is more to the jilting than meets the eye, and that is not the only convolution in the story.

The story is comical, slightly dramatic and is full of novel action. The shooting of the action itself is not only spectacular, but I find quite artistic. Something I find strange is the music, which has a Latin flavour. I liked it, it was cute, but considering the story has absolutly nothing to do with that part of the world, it seemed a bit out of place.

Ther wasn't much I didn't like about the movie, except perhaps the introduction of several character which really were not needed for the story at all (but add to the eye candy, so I am not complaining too much).

The DVD has pretty much the standard DVD features, language options, subtitle, scene selection, but was a bit scant on the extra features.

The English voice acting on the DVD was done well. Although the story (obviously) remains the same, the translation and the context in the English audio version for most of the part is different to the English subtitles and the Cantonese audio option.

This movie will appeal to most people, it's cheeky, action packed and keeps you thinking.

Tokyo Raiders is a text book example of what Hong Kong cinema produces, and depending on your taste, it can be an eye candy or annoyance. Hit or miss, it never stops trying to entertain you.

The story is basically about three Chinese in Japan, raising hell and spoiling the bad guys. In between, there are fights, explosion, and of course, car chases. However, since pop stars Ekin Cheng and Kelly Chen needs to protect their squeaky clean image, there is no naked woman where one normally finds in an American production. But Tony Leung's large quantity of beautiful assistants do somewhat make up for it.

This film is all about gadgets, plot twist, and style. With much emphasis on the later. It's rapid-fire MTVism editing even outdone MTV itself. And probably needed to hide the fact that neither Leung nor Cheng knows any kung fu in real life. But I like it. The editing keeps the image flowing and makes a typical fight scene interesting.

If you like big-budget popcorn movie that test your suspension of belief, in other words like me, you'll at least find it amusing.

Tokyo Raiders is a delightful cross between a modern Chinese martial arts film and the wonderful character of the American classics:Our Man Flint/In Like Flint, making use of good camera angles and an assortment of spy gadgets.

The acting is well done, and the cast well selected. There is a terrific balance between the heroes and always a little bit of a question as to who is on what side. My only complaint about the film is that there is not already a sequel.

`Tokyo Raiders' is not a great film, but is certainly very entertaining. Three handsome and sexy stars are all attractive, and the location of the modern city of Tokyo (where most of the film was shot) is another asset for the film, which lacks originality in the storyline.

The film starts with a bit comical fighting scene in Shinjuku, Tokyo, with Tony Leung and Japanese thugs in suits (one of them apparently ex-sumo wrestler) following him from behind. Leung's character Lin with affable smile fights back deftly using an umbrella and some 007-like gadgets in the well-choreographed sequences, shot in the street of Kabukicho, Shinjuku, one of the night life district in Tokyo. (Incidentally this place is very close to the hotel where Bill Murray's character stayed in `Lost in Translation.') The scenes are no Jackie Chan action, not intense as Jet Li, but still amusing in its own way.

Then we meet beautiful Macy (Kelly Chen, `Infernal Affair') in Las Vegas. She is waiting for her bridegroom (who is Japanese) who would not show up at the church. Impatient and dismayed, Macy flies to Japan, with a handsome guy from Hong Kong named Yung (Ekin Cheng), who claims that he needs his money back from Macy's fiancé. In Tokyo, both of them soon get involved with a case of stolen secret information, CIA, yakuza, etc. Plenty of actions and a bit of romance ensue.

Actually, though the story constantly attempts to surprise us with twists and turns, it is not the most important part of the film, which is made virtually for the three stars Leung, Chen, and Cheng. These three likable players from Hong Kong, all charming and delightful, perfectly fit the light-heated mood of the film, where people fight fiercely, but not get killed, and even the yakuza (Japanese gangsters) look like gentlemen compared with the fearful gangsters in `Kill Bill Vol. 1.'

Among the actors from Japanese side, Toru Nakamura (`Purple Butterfly') would be the most famous, but his role is sadly a very small one. Equally small are the roles of cute Japanese idol turned actor Kumiko Endo and actor Hiroshi Abe with his trademark eccentric acting. That is simply disappointing for the Japanese viewers like me. Cecilia Cheung also appears briefly, and her role is not a big one either.

But with these three attractive leads, maybe we should not complain. The film is generic in its story, but is greatly helped by the presence of these actors, plus its good (if not great) action sequences and fast-paced direction, `Tokyo Raiders' is an amusing film, forgettable but fairly good entertainment for rainy day afternoon.

Making its stars look cool seems to be the main purpose of this film. The plot is pure contrived nonsense: the CIA is somehow trying to devalue the Japanese yen through counterfeiting and working with a Japanese mobster; somehow, as part of this scheme, a CIA agent is assigned to marry a Hong Kong banker's daughter (in Las Vegas!); instead, the agent elopes with the Japanese mobster's wife and has a car accident in which the moster's wife dies; the CIA agent is hospitalized and he misses the wedding with the banker's daughter; the banker's daughter goes to Japan to look for him; the mobster, the CIA, and the Japanese secrete service then all try to use the banker's daughter to find the CIA agent, while the banker hires a kung-fu expert disguised as an interior decorator to protect his daughter. All of this convoluted plot is explained through about one minute of fast dialog. I had to rewind and listen to the dialog twice to understand what was going on. The MTV-style editing during the fight sequences is effective in hiding the stars' lack of kung-fu skills. This movie could have been great if only it had a more comprehensible and better developed plot. The stars are pleasing to the eye and the action sequences are fun. Unfortunately, it degenerates into style without substance.

Depart from the popular Jackie Chan fare and take a look into popular Hong Kong kung fu cinema. It's a silly tale of spies, lies, and lovers but not obnoxiously stupid as has been the trend for HK flicks of late. Kelly Chen is Macy whose Japanese boyfriend is a no-show at their Vegas wedding. She jets back to HK to find him but instead bumps heads with Yung, played by a perfectly coiffed Ekin Cheng, a smooth interior designer who has yet to be paid for fixing up their pad. The two knock out some baddies, who just happen to show up at the house, and they end up in Japan, whereupon Lam, Tony Leung's shady private detective, proceeds to get all up into their business. The rest of the plot is, how shall we say, confusing, and secondary; basically everyone's after Macy and the girl just wants to find her fiancée. Let's all admit that we're not really watching this movie for profound insight and agree that the narrative stays on track in it's own disjointed way, which means it doesn't always make sense. The important thing is that every character is hiding something so no one really knows what's going on.

Despite big names and beautiful faces in this Lunar New Year production, the acting doesn't really stand out, except for Tony Leung Chiu-Wai's performance. He continues to demonstrate why he's one of the best actors, ever. Though he won't be grabbing anything at Cannes for this one, he ups the charm factor a few notches and plays the spy who I wished loved me. Since the key word here is "cool," the bland script matters less than sleek sets, suave spy fashion, and fluid fight sequences. All this movie asks of you is a handful of brain cells and the willingness to indulge in a nonsensical spy caper.

I am a big fan of Ekin Cheng, and this was an excellent movie, with a well developed plot and memorable characters.

Tony Leung stars as a Tokyo private investigator, trying to track down a gangland boss. Tagging along are Macy, (Kelly Chen) and John, (Ekin Cheng)a Kung Fu master, (who also happens to be an interior decorator, LOL).

Together, the trio tries to solve the mystery of Macy's missing fiancée, but run into trouble from the CIA, rival gang lords and local police. A romance develops between Macy and John, and is exacerbated by distrust on both sides.

There are several great fight scenes. My favorite involved Ekin Chen and the vacuum cleaner, and the fight upon the car transport truck! This had a lot of really original material, and just enough romance to also appeal to female fans.

Great movie!! Where's the sequal?

Tokyo Raiders is a text book example of what Hong Kong cinema produces, and depending on your taste, it can be an eye candy or annoyance. Hit or miss, it never stops trying to entertain you.

The story is basically about three Chinese in Japan, raising hell and spoiling the bad guys. In between, there are fights, explosion, and of course, car chases. However, since pop stars Ekin Cheng and Kelly Chen needs to protect their squeaky clean image, there is no naked woman where one normally finds in an American production. But Tony Leung's large quantity of beautiful assistants do somewhat make up for it.

This film is all about gadgets, plot twist, and style. With much emphasis on the later. It's rapid-fire MTVism editing even outdone MTV itself. And probably needed to hide the fact that neither Leung nor Cheng knows any kung fu in real life. But I like it. The editing keeps the image flowing and makes a typical fight scene interesting...

This movie is great and very original.Jingle Ma will always make great movies like HOT WARS, making HK movie look internation. The movie is well lit and its on a MATTED 1.85 widescreen,Dolby 5.1,and kool extras. This movie will get 4 stars for a reason,the ending action sequence is not as big as the beggining.(Maybe thats my opinion). Also you will get into the action sequence making a MATRIX style of editing,along with some kool LATINO style of MOMBO music that make this a Millenium Classic as 2000 A.D.