Returner
Joe Nguyen, staff writer
Feb. 19, 2004

Milly (Ann Suzuki) comes from the year 2084 where she lived in an apocalyptic war zone. In a last ditch effort, she goes back to the 2002 to complete a mission which she only has two days to do. Upon arriving, she stumbles onto Miyamoto (Takeshi Kaneshiro), a mercenary. Enlisting his help, the two work toward completing her mission, with the obstacle of Mizoguchi (Goro Kishitani), a crime boss who killed Miyomoto’s best friend 15 years earlier.

This looked like a "Matrix" meets "Desparado" set in Japan when I first heard about it. "Returner" was really close to the movies I mentioned, but there was so much more included in there.

This movie takes the components from many Hollywood blockbusters, including "Terminator," "Back to the Future," "E.T.," "Independence Day" and a host of others. I mean, the whole time I was watching, it felt like there was nothing new. The script was pretty average. A girl meets up with a dashing stranger who reluctantly agrees to help her. In their way however, is a super-villain.

Takeshi Kaneshiro and Ann Suzuki in "Returner"

The action was solid though. The sequences were entertaining to watch. The hard techno music fit the scenes perfectly.

The interactions between Miyamoto and Milly were fun to watch. Aside from the action, this was what really carried the movie. The two actors played very well off of one another, unlike some of the other acting in the movie. I despised the American actors. They were just awful. It felt like I tuned into a bad episode of Stargate whenever they started to talk. The lines they had sounded like really cheesy Hollywood junk.

The character of Miyamoto reminds me of El Mariachi from "Once Upon a Time in Mexico" with the way that both characters are incredibly accurate with their guns, both are seeking revenge, and both carry an aura of chic ness around them. Kaneshiro really fit this part from his look to his attitude.

Mizoguchi was created with a state of cartoonish super-villainy. The character was pure evil. There was not a shred of goodness in him at all. This point was pushed early on when Mizoguchi shoots one of the screaming kids without hesitation.

Overall, this was an above average movie. It kept my attention pretty well. There’s nothing new here if you’ve watched the movies I listed above. Except for gripes I made above as well as the part leading up to the ending where the mood becomes very Hollywood sappy, it’s still fairly entertaining if you want to pick it up as a rental.

Joe gives "Returner":

Joe Nguyen is a staff writer for asiaXpress.com. You can reach Joe at joe@asiaxpress.com.

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