"Better a fallen rocket than never a burst of light."
~ Tom Stoppard, The Invention of Love

Friday, June 28, 2019

A Little TLC(w): Tokyo Raiders (2000, PG-13)


Full disclosure:  I pretty much loved this movie.  Is it high art?  No, but it’s a damn good time, with an engaging cast and wonderfully-entertaining action sequences.

When her fiancé is a no-show at the altar, Macy heads to Tokyo in the hopes of finding him.  She’s followed there by Yung, the interior decorator who insists on collecting the fee her beau owes him, but once they arrive in Japan, it’s immediately clear that there’s more going on here than a delayed flight or a groom with cold feet.  Bad guys who work for worse guys are also on the hunt for the missing Takahashi, and Macy and Yung additionally catch the attention of Mr. Lin, a Chinese private eye working in Tokyo who’s been on the case.

I’ll concede that it’s not a perfect film.  There are cheesy moments here and there, and some of the twists are plainly there to disguise the overall thinness of the plot, which at times feels merely like a means of getting from one action set piece to another.  All that said, it is a perfectly-serviceable action mystery with comic flourishes.  It clips along at a good pace and always entertains, even if it doesn’t always hold together as a tight narrative.

Some good performances here.  I’m not familiar with either Kelly Chen or Ekin Cheng, who play Macy and Yung, but they’re both very likable.  Together with Tony Leung Chiu-wai’s Lin, they make for an engaging trio.  I know this is a film that, since its release has spawned two sequels, and I don’t know if either is any good, but I’m still looking forward to seeing them based on the chemistry generated by this cast.

But far and away, Mr. Lin is my favorite thing about this movie.  He’s mysterious, suave, magnetic, and just the right amount of ridiculous – there are some great bits, especially in his action scenes, that neatly balance on the right side of goofy without veering into cheesy.  The “but can they trust him really?!” signs are practically flashing in neon, but that’s okay.  Mr. Lin pulls people in, throwing them offguard and leaving them unsure what to make of him even as they’re getting into a car with him.  There’s even something fun about how he uses his terrible Japanese to his professional advantage:  he gets the juiciest, most secret cases because people assume no one’s talking to the Chinese P.I. who barely speaks Japanese.

Leung is fantastic in this role.  I can’t quite describe the overall effect of his performance here.  Lin is super capable and frequently unflappable in the seemingly most-hopeless situations, but at the same time, there’s just the slightest air that he’s making it all up as he goes along and is flying by the seat of his pants.  I don’t know what it is, but I love it and I’m excited to see more of this character.

Recommend?

In General – I would.  Great action, really entertaining, and a good jumping-off point for this franchise.  I hope the other two movies are this much fun.

Tony Leung Chiu-wai – Definitely.  While this character is pretty well designed to make audiences enjoy him, Leung plays it for all he’s worth.  He’s like a charisma bomb wrapped in an investigator package and pulling off some audacious action scenes.

Warnings

Violence, brief sexual content, language, and drinking/smoking.

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