The Returner is a 2003 Japanese Sci-Fi and action movie directed by Takashi Yamasaki starring Anne Suzuki and Takeshi Kaneshiro. It was distributed by Japan Toho/Pony Canyon Inc and was released in the U.S. Under Columbia TriStar Video.
The Plot
The year is 2084, Human race is on the hiding against an alien they called “Daggra”. Their last stronghold in Tibet has been penetrated by a hoards of alien force. Equipped with impenetrable force field and better weapons, humans is now on the verge of extinction. In order to save humanity a young female soldier Milly decided to travel back in time to stop what started the war. With their newly built time portal in place, she landed in a cargo ship 82 years into the past (2002) where a group of thugs is conducting an illegal business just about to start.
However, the transaction is interrupted by a shootout where we could only imagine started by none other than Miyazako, a vigilante who holds a vendetta against one of the thugs leader, Mizoguchi. After the gun battle, Miyazako finally has Mizoguchi at gunpoint only to be interrupted by Milly. Mizoguchi escaped, while Miyazako accidentally shot Milly. Lucky enough the young female soldier is unharmed and despite having a different objective in mind, the two must worked together to defeat the enemy.
My Review
Although the plot is nothing new, this is one the most entertaining Sci-Fi movie I have seen out of Japan. Sure it does borrows elements from such movies as E.T., Terminator, and The Matrix, but it also shows an artistic CGI blend with great acting scenes.
Miyazako is played by well known Japanese/Taiwanese actor Takeshi Kaneshiro. Driven by revenge, He bows to hunt down Mizoguchi after killing his best friend when they were young. Miyazako tells a brief story about his living as an assassin yet find it hard to make ends meet. His accidental partner, Milly also seen a rough time in her life during the war, this enable her to develop a sense of maturity . Since she is still young, she gets quirky at times and tend to get little respect from Miyazako.
The other character that is also worth mentioning in this film is the main antagonist Mizoguchi ( Goro Kishitani). A cold blooded Yakuza leader who find enjoyment in almost anything that can kill, like our main protagonist, he is very creative in an vicious heartless way.
Despite a lack of a more detailed story, there is a good chemistry between the characters, Kaneshiro is one good actor, I could not ask for anyone else for a perfect role in this film than him. Anne Suzuki who starred in a Hollywood film Snow Falling on Cedars is also great at bringing in that anime look to life. Fans of Anne will be surprise to know that this is the only film where she cut her hair short.
Overall due to its tremendous amount of special effects, there will be instances where you could tell which one is bad and which one just wowed you plus it has some comedic moments between the hero and the heroine, but just remember this was released years before live action “Transformer” came to life so it safe to say for me that it is a movie well ahead of its time. As I have stated earlier the plot is not surprisingly unique on its own, but this is overshadowed by great high adrenaline action, face to face bullet dodging choreographs and superb acting that even I started to care about.
