Miyomoto searches for the man responsible for the death of his childhood friend. As a lone mercenary for hire, he finds Mizoguchi, an infamous yakuza notorious for his black market dealings in human organs. When Millie literally falls out of the sky from the future and disrupts Miyomoto just seconds away from fulfilling his vengeance, his world is sent into upheaval as he attempts to find his friend’s murderer once again and take in the fact that Millie is an envoy 80 years ahead of his time sent back to the past to prevent the initial beginnings of a war between Earth and an invading alien race known as the Daggra.
Takashi Yamazaki’s freshman effort, JUVENILE, was a special effects laden summer hit that innocently weaved popular science fiction with children’s adventure into a very commercial package. JUVENILE contained more than three hundred CG enhanced visuals, the most in Japanese film history at the time of its release. Though, Yamazaki’s latest venture, RETURNER, not only boast more special and CG effects, but was even a larger success during its run due to the fierce advertising hype and newly revamped action super star, Takeshi Kaneshiro.
Coincidentally, RETURNER implements the same ideas and themes from JUVENILE (invading aliens, time travel, saving the planet, friendship and trust), except in a more mature, graphic manner, yet still keeping the light touches of mainstream friendly filmmaking. This time around, energetic gunplay and stylized posing charge the action sequences, giving bursts of charismatic octane to Kaneshiro as he dazzles in acrobatic, trench coat wearing form. After all, he is the driving force of this film, a movie that, while superficial on the surface, is definitely a fun and visually pleasing genre voyage.
Ann Suzuki returns from her girlie teen role in JUVENILE to a more blossomed and vibrant role. She is equally spunky and precocious in her portrayal of Millie, the messenger from the future who forces Miyomoto to work with her by attaching a small explosive, the size of an adhesive, to his neck. There is a sparkle about her that keeps RETURNER dainty on its toes. A particular scene that comes to mind is when Miyomoto takes Millie on a shopping spree and a facial before they decide to do some reconnaissance work simply because of her futuristic lackluster wardrobe. It is a ridiculous and hilarious scene that should not be taken seriously, and though, it is so out of place, it almost makes sense in the blithe context of RETURNER.
Second to Kaneshiro, though, is Goro Kishitani as Mizoguchi, the uber supreme of badass villains. It is interesting because Mizoguchi seems to be been a very stereotypical scoundrel in retrospect, but all the subtle nuances of his luminous performance truly brings Mizoguchi to states of nitrous cool; the smoking and the walking is what does it every time for me. And when he gets angry, he pounds the closest underling with his elbows and knees; so yakuza typical it’s funny.
While there are a few snowdrop doses of gun battles, fans of action may leave RETURNER wanting a little bit more. However, that may be exactly what makes those sequences so enjoyable and appreciative as they are not overwhelming, but consisting of enough elegance and poise to create some inventive scenes. The effects of the bullets zipping through the air, leaving cindering mists of white smoke in its trails are one of many of CG effects that add zest to RETURNER.
At its heart, RETURNER is a glossy blockbuster, filled to the brim with novel gadgets and imaginative flairs. It pays homage to many other trendy plot devices and action films. While every scene is beautifully filmed and downright cool with sweeping pans and epic like cinematography, the attempted ingenuity of re-inventing and combining tried and true cinematic formulas may leave viewers with mixed reactions. In spite of everything, RETURNER is highly entertaining and I would still recommend the films to not only fans of action, but those in love with the ninja fresh Takeshi Kaneshiro, as this is one of his most exuberant and electrifying roles seen in a while.
The RETURNER Deluxe 2-Disc Limited Edition comes packaged in a beautiful red and black embossed digipak collectible casing. Disc 1 contains the Film, Chapter Selection, Cast & Staff biographies, both the Teaser and Full Theatrical Trailers, Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 Soundtracks, an Audio Commentary in Japanese and amazingly coherent ENGLISH SUBTITLES. Disc 2 comes lock and stock loaded with an extensive Behind-the-Scenes Coverage and making of RETURNER segments entitled DAYS OF RETURNER 2000.9.1 – 2002.8.31 (No English Subtitles on the Extras). The package, picture and sound are outstanding for this Limited Release.