SUMMARY
During a raid of a counterfeit/smuggling operation,
Kiyoko (a detective with the Metro Police Department) and her partner
discovers the disassembled parts of a sniper rifle, and a name, The
Killing Machine. It appears that the Hong Kong Mafia has imported an
assassin to Japan.
The Killing Machine is the ultimate killer. He leaves no trace, a master
at all martial arts, and has the ability to terrify any one he meets.
At the same time, Kiyoko's family is hosting a Chinese man named Chan Hoi
as part of an international homestay program, hosted by a Japanese
language college. Hoi is a timid young man, who gets pushed around easily
and passes out after one drink. At first oblivious and even mean to him,
Kiyoko start to learn there is more to Hoi than she first thought.
Can Kiyoko figure out Hoi's secret and stop the hitman before he kills his
last target?
DVD VISION TEST
VIDEO: Very well done video quality, much better than
the original TV broadcast version. With this movie taking place mostly at
night, there is the worry of pixels and artifacing to worry about. There
is none as far as we can tell. Since this was recorded on digital video,
the source is free of defects, as is this transfer.
AUDIO: The Dolby 2.0 is pretty good, with dialogue from the front
speakers, and music and sfx from the back. It sounds a lot better than the
original mono broadcast.
EDITS: This DVD is the directors cut, so footage has been restored. Most
of it is in the form of more character development and extended fight
sequences.
EXTRAS: A 30 minute making of which concentrates on the action segments.
Also, the clean opening and commercial spots have been included.
WIDESCREEN REVIEW
STORY: Ryoichi Kimizuka story is pretty standard. Coming
off as a cross between Golgo 13 and Alias, there are no real surprises,
and the outcome is pretty much determined from the get go. The story is
well written and well paced.
ACTING: The cast is what brings this film up from a standard exercise in
the assassin genre. Star Miki Mizuno (Bayside Shakedown and Senrigan),
shows that she can play a tough chick cop as well as the next woman. This
is a departure from the nervous and timid characters she usually plays.
Big surprise comes from comedian Teruyoshi Uchimura. Well known for being
a member of the comedy troupe Pocket Biscuits, he to shows that he does
have the abilities to perform a serious role.
FAN SERVICE: Well, for you Dark Angel and Alias fans, you have ass kicking
Miki Mizuno take out a bunch of guys every 20 minutes or so. For you Tokyo
Blue or Zero Woman fans, no nudity for you.
CONCLUSION
When the TV spots for "The Sniper' started flashing
on TV Asahi, this looked to be different than the "romance
dramas" or the typical "mystery of the week" movies that
come on every Friday and Saturday. So, when the movie aired, we (the DVD
Vision Japan crew) saw that a DVD release was forth coming, we made sure
to get a copy.
The Sniper is the Japanese cousin to "Leon" in that it is the
story of a peaceful assassin. All Hoi want to do is have a family and be
reunited with his long lost mother. Unfortunately, being trained by the
Red Army, and "adopted" by the Hong Kong Mafia can make life a
little difficult.
The story, fortunately, does not require knowledge of Japanese to
understand. Everything is pretty much laid out in the first 30 minutes,
leaving you to wait for the next action sequence.
This movie does provide plenty of "Kung-Fu" action with Miki
Mizuno doing her best "Charlie's Angel" impression. She jumps,
kicks, and handles the wire better than most "Power Ranger"
stars, and she can act to boot. American viewers may notice that there is
nary a shoot out or car chase, which is a refreshing change. You
"Tokyo Blue" fans won't find any nudity here either.
While not a ground breaking film, it is and entertaining one. This is a
chance to see something that is rare on Japanese TV, a decent action
movie.
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