Sleepless Town



Reviewed by YTSL

Take stylistic elements and references from "Lost and Found", "Chungking Express" and "The Longest Nite" (Along with the director of the 1996 UFO production plus someone who starred in that and what is arguably Wong Kar Wai's most delightful offering).  Throw them into a dark brew that is peopled by a more culturally mixed group of individuals than one might expect to see in a film from a country "known" for its relative ethnic homogeneity (And note that the Chinese depicted here are sub-divided into Taiwanese, Shanghainese, Beijingers and Fujianese (a.k.a. Fukienese or Hokkien); plus Japanese Manchurians and others do figure in the picture as well).  Come up with an involving thriller of a noir drama involving at least one mystery woman and a few rival underworld gangs (Mainly Triad types, with Yakuza only mentioned in passing).  Situate it for the most part in a section of Tokyo known as Kabukicho.  In a nutshell, that seems to be what those behind this Japan-Hong Kong -- and also Taiwan? -- co-production have done.

There is much to observe, process and keep the brain occupied in the beautifully filmed -- check out the tracking shot that accompanies the opening credits and other money shots by HKFA Best Cinematography award-winning Arthur Wong -- SLEEPLESS TOWN; so much so that this (re)viewer found herself unable to get through this busy work in one go.  First and foremost is the transnationalism -- even if it is mainly restricted to East Asia -- of its references as well as characters plus the multi-linguality of its dialogue.  Re the former:  Children of Japanese women abandoned in China after the end of the Second World War figure prominently in this 1998 effort; and significant mention is made to there being parallels between characters of this contemporary tale with some in the classic "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" (a piece of literature which Takeshi Kaneshiro's Ryu Kenichi/Liu Jianyi character loaned to Eric Tsang's Yuan Chenggui to read).  Re the latter:  It may interest some to realize that conversations in this Lee Chi Ngai helmed cinematic adaptation of a novel by Seishu Hase take place in Taiwanese as well as Japanese and Mandarin (but not -- at least, not that I noticed -- Cantonese).


An abundance of plot twists and turns, along with details and content, is also apparent in a movie that has a lot of visual flair (Yohei Taneda received a HKFA award for Best Art Direction).  For all of its cultural complexity, it gets asserted more than once in SLEEPLESS TOWN that the world is essentially divided into but two kinds of people:  The cheaters and the cheated.  Going along with this line of thinking, for much of the film, its "mixed breed" protagonist -- who is played by the Japanese-Chinese actor from Taiwan known as Gum Sing Mo and Anaki Jin as well as Takeshi Kaneshiro -- is seen wheeling and dealing, trying to ensure that he doesn't get betrayed even as he betrays.
 

For the three days in his life that are focused upon in much of SLEEPLESS TOWN, the film's anti-hero -- a maverick low-lifer with ponytailed hair reminiscent of Steven Seagal's -- is in the company of a woman who looks to be the personification of a Femme Fatale (Mirai Yamamoto is alternately hot and chilling, as called for by this role).  During this time, there hangs over him an ultimatum from the boss of the Shanghai Triad (played by a Mandarin-speaking Eric Tsang) to find and hand over his former partner -- on account of the at-large Wu Fu-Chun/Sakamato Tomio having killed the rotund individual's  right-hand man -- or else...At times, it can seem like Kenichi/Liu is not taking the assigned task and deadline too seriously.  At the same time, he clearly also is doing what he can, in the ways he knows how, to ensure that he stays alive into the upcoming (Chinese and Japanese) new year.
 

Among the individuals whose help Kenichi seeks to enlist are:  Yang Weimin, the deceptively benign-looking leader of Kabukicho and Shinjuku's Taiwanese faction (It was a pleasure seeing Lung Sihung in this work); Cui Hu, the rough head of the Beijing criminal contingent; someone Kenichi calls Little Wen; and Xiu Hong, the not-to-be-discounted mistress of the Shanghai Triad boss (Kathy Chow has a small but interesting role in the proceedings).  Someone (else) whose machinations has to be taken into account is the physically diminutive but highly influential elderly Fujianese man with the speech problem who operates out of Yokohama (Seijun Suzuki in a cameo appearance).
 

As all this occurs, Kenichi -- and the viewers, who only really know as much throughout as he does, and at his pace -- has to figure out what are different people's motives in order to get a sense of what they want and are planning.  Along the way, he has to unravel someone's tales of childhood trauma which involve gang and other rapes to decide whether revenge -- or another factor, like sex or money -- is the primary thing on her mind.  All the while, he has to consider a warning that:  "There's a storm brewing, a sacrifice might be needed".  The way things go, the question is not whether he can avoid getting involved but what part will he play?  Those intrigued by this are urged to check out this 122 minute movie to find that out.  Those who are not might still find it worthwhile to go for an excursion into the SLEEPLESS TOWN where there is much on the surface but maybe even more beyond it.

My rating for this film:  8


Review from Brian



"Don't fuck with the Chinese. This is Kabukicho" says one cop to another. Kabukicho is part of Shinjuko. It is the heart of the entertainment area with hundreds of small bars, narrow winding back-alley streets, hostess establishments, casual restaurants that cater to the diverse ethnic population that rules and runs Kabukicho. It goes all night and has acquired the name Sleepless Town. The audience is introduced to this area during the opening credits as a lovely tracking shot follows Kenichi (Takeshi Kaneshiro) as he walks through the streets, past the female touts trying to drag customers in, the drunk salary men vomiting in the corner, deals being struck, merchandise being picked up, down alleys and finally into the back room of a hostess bar where the girls are relaxing. Along the way Kenichi has acknowledge many with a nod or a handshake. He is a known quantity to everyone. Part of the fabric. He etches out a living by knowing everyone and knowing how to get things done. But he belongs to no gang, instead perilously navigating the various yakuza and triad gangs that control the area. Where crossing someone is as easy as crossing the street, but the repercussions are much worse. But this is where he makes his living. In the shadows. He is half Taiwanese and half Japanese and not claimed by either. He calls himself a bat - surviving by his radar. 


This Hong Kong/Japanese co-production is noir down to its fetid roots. Set in the neon infested streets it is a complex tale of gangs, betrayals, femme fatales and lies. The Chinese triads are well established - from Shanghai, Bejing, Fukienese and Taiwan all vying for power and money. in a small area. Alongside are criminals from Japan, Thailand and Korea. It is diversity at its finest. They all have their territories delineated but they all want more. One gang head warns Kenichi, a storm is brewing. Sacrifices must be made. The trigger is the return of Wu Fu-chun (Shiina Kippei) to Tokyo. He was once a partner of Kenichi but two years previously he had killed the number two man in the Shanghai triad run by Yuan (Eric Tsang) and had left town and not been found. Now he was back. No one knows why. Yuan calls Kenichi into his office. You have three days to deliver your partner to us. Ex-partner he reminds him. Three days. 


Mr. Yang (Lung Shihung - father in Eat, Drink, Man, Woman, The Wedding Banquet, Pushing Hands) who runs the Taiwanese triad tells Kenichi, you might want to leave town. Mr. Ye (Seijun Suzuki) who is the Big Boss says he has a place for you in Hong Kong. Not his style - he likes living on his wits. But pretty much loses them when the femme fatale latches on to him like a bristly cactus. She calls him saying she needs his help. “I shouldn’t have gone into her apartment. I shouldn’t have unlocked her trunk”, Takeshi later rues to himself as the metaphorical loose tightens around his neck in this enigmatic noir suspense tale that takes place in the shadows of the Chinese underworld in the heart of Tokyo. He opens the door and he unlocks the trunk though and finds himself playing the perfect unwitting pawn in a lethal power struggle that consists of hidden ambitions and double and triple crosses. Every good noir film needs a good Femme Fatale and Mirai Yamamoto is deliciously mysterious as she shifts in the blink of an eye from sexual siren to damsel in distress – pulling Takeshi’s strings – or is he pulling hers – as they circle one another in a dangerous dance of desire and suspicion.


She has more stories than Uncle Remus and as one comes undone, she has another ready made. He knows she is poison but keeps taking sips. Natsumi (Mirai Yamamoto) is beautiful and full of sexual desire. But it is like sleeping with a bed of scorpions. She wants to kill Wu Fu-chun like everyone else does. But then there are plots and plans within plots and plans - everybody is ready to shoot someone in the back. The storm is here in one murderous night after a long build-up. 


The film is beautifully shot - the director is Lee Chi-ngai with some fine credits to his name - a bunch that he directed for UFO - Lost and Found, Mack the Knife, He Ain't Heavy, He's My Father - but I would guess that much of the credit also has to go to his cinematographer,  Arthur Wong Ngok-tai who has an amazing resume with Eastern Condors, Miracles, Armour of God, Moon Warriors, Big Bullet, The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, Aces Go Places and so many more. So, it is hard to tell where the clear Wong Kar-war influence came from - especially Fallen Angels - the saturated colors, the music (a Faye Wong song comes on the radio), the unsettling tone, the internal narrative. If Wong Kar-wai had ever done noir, it would look like this. I think it is a terrific film - at two hours some of the love making scenes between the two could have been cut. They bring the film to a halt but perhaps needed to demonstrate his growing obsession. In the film there is also Kathy Chow as the mistress of a club owner who like everyone else has her own agenda.

7.5 to 8.0 - 1998