Standard rule of thumb: the more one person does on a film, the more likely it is to suck. Here, Ozawa writes, co-produces, directs, stars, edits, and for all we know, caters too, leaving this bordering on a vanity production - for is Ozawa the director going to tell Ozawa the writer a scene sucks? Course not! Someone should have though, for a more tiresome collection of genre cliches, it's hard to imagine, right from the moment a car ploughs through a fruit cart. A man (Ozawa) is hired to transport a mobster's sister (Hsu), and a load of drugs, from Point A to Point B in the Phillipines. But, inevitably, the double-cross is in, and our hero is then out to wreak revenge, etc. etc.
Part of the problem is the horrendous mix of tongues, including dialogue in Japanese, English, Chinese and Spanish. This must have seemed like a good idea at the time, but would have worked infinitely better if the people actually knew the languages concerned: certainly, those speaking English clearly have no clue. Motivations are almost entirely unexplored, the storyline has inexplicable holes and while the action is plentiful, it really isn't well staged. In other hands - and in particular, a few more hands - this kind of thing could have been a fun ride, instead of a tortuous slog with little to offer.
D-
November 2004
