Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- brutal
- tense
- melancholic
- crime movie night
- jackie chan retrospective
What critics said
Critics broadly found Jackie Chan compelling in a morally serious, brutal crime drama whose social sympathy and old-fashioned moralism were stronger than its over-ambitious, untidy plotting.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Tietou and other undocumented Chinese workers survive through illegal labor before becoming entangled with gangs in Shinjuku.
Tietou favors peaceful methods while his authority over Chinese immigrants deteriorates into gang warfare.
The criminal rise is framed through dirty work, forced circumstance, spasmodic violence, and moral consequence.
Tietou loses his Chinese documents, cannot return home, and depends on fellow immigrants for shelter and work.
Films like Shinjuku Incident, and why
Infernal Affairs
shared immigrant underworld drama, criminal ambition, moral compromise, and brutal urban crime conflict
Election
shared hong kong crime storytelling, gangland power struggles, tragic masculinity, and social pressure
City of God
shared migrant criminality, organized crime, revenge, and grounded urban violence
A Better Tomorrow
shared crime saga structure, conflicted gang leadership, and bleak consequences of power
Movie Details
- Director
- Derek Yee Tung-Sing
- Release Date
- 2009-03-22
- Runtime
- 119 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (333)
Cast
- Jackie Chan
- Naoto Takenaka
- Daniel Wu
- Fan Bingbing
- Xu Jinglei
- Masaya Katō
- Toru Minegishi
- Jack Kao
- Yasuaki Kurata
- Chin Ka-Lok
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Shinjuku Incident about?
- An undocumented Chinese laborer is pulled into Shinjuku’s violent criminal underworld while trying to protect his community and reclaim a lost love.
- What is Shinjuku Incident like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Shinjuku Incident as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Shinjuku Incident violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Shinjuku Incident as graphic.
- What did critics think of Shinjuku Incident?
- Critics broadly found Jackie Chan compelling in a morally serious, brutal crime drama whose social sympathy and old-fashioned moralism were stronger than its over-ambitious, untidy plotting.
- Which films are like Shinjuku Incident?
- Films with a similar feel include Infernal Affairs, Election, City of God, and A Better Tomorrow.
- How long is Shinjuku Incident?
- Shinjuku Incident runs 119 minutes.
- Where can I watch Shinjuku Incident?
- In United States, Shinjuku Incident is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
