Tokyo Raiders

This action-pack movie flavoured with light humour is directed by Jingle Ma. As the movie was produced for screening in New Year 2000, it was very entertaining. Even if the plot was silly and ridiculous at times, it was made up for by the star-studded cast, the light-hearted comedy and eye-catching choreography. The cast includes Tony Leung, Ekin Cheng, Kelly Chen with Cecilia Cheung making a special appearance.

The movie starts with Macy (Kelly Chen) being jilted at the altar in Los Angeles as her fiancé, Takahashi (Tonu Nakamura), fails to turn up at their wedding. She returns to his flat in Hong Kong to look for him only to run into Yung (Ekin Cheng), who claims to be an interior designer looking for Takahashi for payment. As Macy decides to go to Japan to look for her fiancé, Yung follows her with the intention of getting his money. In Takahashi's flat, they encounter the Kobe gang who is also out looking for Takahashi. Private detective Len rescues them and asks Macy to help him look for Takahashi, who seems to have disappeared. He informs Macy that Takahashi has run off with Miyuki, the girlfriend of Mr. Ito, the Kobe gang's leader. A hot pursuit is being ordered by the Kobe gang while private detective Len seems very interested in finding the whereabouts of Takahashi for no apparent reason. Everyone is not what he/she appears to be in this movie, each has his own purpose.

After so many years of not making a movie, Tony Leung took on this movie offer after his success with "In the Mood for Love" and once again proved that he still has what it takes to be in the movie industry. His boyish grin is forever a trademark and private detective Len was a role cut out for him. He has a charisma that guarantees to capture the audience once he appears onscreen. His three female assistants, a subplot borrowed from "Charlie's Angels", remind me of his typical roles when he was with TVB, always playing the handsome hero surrounded by beautiful women. What’s even more interesting is that he did most of the stunts in the movie himself.

Ekin Cheng for once lets go of his stony expression and the "cool-tragic" image of Chan Ho Nam in “Young and Dangerous” that he seemed to adapt to every movie, to ease himself into the role of Yung. He was impressive in the fighting scenes.

There is no unforgettable character in this movie. With a strange background for each character, we know that this is a movie for entertainment, not one to be taken seriously. The character of Yung is concocted into a strange "interior designer" who is also a five-time wushu champion and is so keen on getting his money back that he would risk his life for it. Or the character of private detective Len, a streetwise man who lives in Japan but cannot utter a full sentence in Japanese.

Kelly Chan, a newcomer, plays the object of affection for both Tony Leung and Ekin Cheng. It was tiring to watch her, not only because she sulks throughout the movie, but also because of the silly love plot that she was entangled in. The romantic plot slowed the pace of the movie down.

There are Japanese actors/actresses in this movie. The actor who plays Mr. Ito, leader of the Kobe gang suits his role well while Tonu Nakamura was so deviously handsome in the role of Takahashi.

DVD is the best option to watch this movie, unless you can watch it in a cinema. The picture/colour is clear and crisp with beautiful Japanese scenery. The fighting choreography is executed well. Extra features include interviews with the cast and crew, and MTVs of Ekin’s and Kelly’s songs. This is one of the few movies to indulge yourself with on a night-in. Watch it, enjoy it, then forget it!