The Chinese migrant communities in Tokyo live shadowy lives. The
Japanese neither acknowledge nor welcome them. They are shunned by
the mainstream society, hounded by the yakuza, and go about their
days under fear of being discovered and repatriated.
It is an alien world for Steelhead, an honest, hardworking tractor
repairman from Heilongjian in northern China. Steelhead had decided
to take the perilous journey to Tokyo after he lost contact with
his girlfriend, who had arrived in the city earlier.
Trying to exist in the underbelly of Tokyo long enough to find Xiu
Xiu, Steelhead has come to realize the migrants had to stand united
if they wanted to go about their lives without fear of oppression
by not only the Japanese underworld but also Chinese gangs.
In his search of a decent living, Steelhead unwittingly finds
himself pit against the Japanese yakuza. Ironically he also
discovers that Xiu Xiu has adopted a Japanese identity and married
Eguchi, an ambitious up and coming yakuza chief.
Steelhead wins the respect of his friends by establishing a base
for them and forms an uneasy alliance with Eguchi. When he helps
Eguchi dispose of a rival, he is given the control of Shinjukus
night establishments. But, uninterested in living a gangsters life,
Steelhead finds a new love and takes the chance to start a tractor
repair business outside Tokyo. However, his peace is shortlived
when word gets to him that his former compatriots were now being
used by Eguchi to front the yakuzas drug business.
Steelhead feels responsible for this turn of events and feels
obligated to bring Eguchi down. He also has to bear in mind that if
he goes after Eguchi, he would be destroying the newfound life of
the woman he once loved. In any case, can one simple Chinese
migrant take on the yakuza alone?
Cast: Jackie Chan, Naoto Takenaka, Daniel
Wu
Director: Derek Yee
Genre: Action/ Drama
Language: Mandarin
Release Date: 2 April 2009
Running Time: 120 minutes
Trailer -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-b4GZpMUEho&feature=related
