First of all, let's clear some things up: a) Sonny Chiba has what amounts to a cameo, b) Sibelle Hu has a secondary role and virtually no action to herself. So the DVD cover could be classified as misleading. The lead of the film is a Japanese undercover cop who (at the request of his superior, Chiba) goes beyond the law and assassinates three family members of a gangster in Hong Kong. Looking for revenge, the gangster kills a Hong Kong cop and his father, thinking they might be connected to the assassination. The cop's partner (Sibelle) travels to Japan and teams up with a local policeman to bring down the gangster and his organization, while the lead is planning HIS revenge. This is apparently a Japan/Hong Kong co-production, but the flavor is mostly Japanese. Not only because all the dialogue is dubbed in that language, but also because most of the film takes place in Japan, and the violence is EXTREME and ritualistic (severed heads, chopped-off ears, geysers of blood, etc.). But there is not enough action for my tastes, and much of what action there is, is poorly directed (though the lead is unmistakably skilled). It's not a terrible movie, but beware of the misleading marketing. (**)
