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From SCIFIPEDIA
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Returner, (Ritana) is a 2002 Japanese film directed by Takashi Yamazaki, his second feature brings together time travel and alien SF, Yakuza gangsters and martial arts. It stars Takeshi Kaneshiro, Anne Suzuki, and Goro Kishitani, along with bullet time and other Matrix-esque special effects.
Spoiler Warning: Plot details and/or information about the ending follow. If you wish to enjoy the work first, stop reading here and return at another time.
In 2084 the human race is on the edge of destruction after decades of battle with an alien force known as the Daggra—Tibetan for enemy. In an outpost in Tibet, a final gambit in the form of a time travel device is under attack. When the man slated for the mission is killed, a feisty young woman named Milly leaps into the breach. She lands in 2002, on the deck of a tanker in Tokyo harbor where hit man-for-hire Miyamoto is in the process of trying to take out crime lord Mizoguchi and free the cargo container of kids Mizoguchi is buying as organ harvesting material. The crime lord took Miyamoto’s childhood friend for the same fate years back and this showdown is a long sought revenge which Milly lands in the middle of--with 72 hours on the clock before the incident which starts the war with the Daggra. When Miyamoto accidentally shoots Milly, he's distracted long enough for Mizoguchi to escape. Miyamoto takes the wounded Milly back to his place, where she heals up quickly and begins an all-out campaign to get his help with her mission. With the use of her handy time-manipulating wrist device, accompanied by some keen cinematic tricks, she convinces him, but he remains a reluctant accomplice--until it turns out that Mizoguchi witnessed the crash of the alien ship and is all over the technology--and the alien--recovered.
A lively mix of character and thrill ride action offset the derivative and shallow nature of the material. Whirling kung fu kicks, kinetic gunplay, motorcycle stunts and typically gonzo Asian film violence share screen time with the rather gentle appeal of the friendship that develops between Miyamoto and Milly. Kishitani, as Mizoguchi, chews the scenery nastily, and the cast is rounded out by Kirin Kiki, playing Miyamoto’s tough-as-nails mentor, an old woman who fronts a small time criminal operation out of a traditional Chinese medicine shop. In the end it’s all very silly and the alien bears more than a little resemblance to E.T., but, while highly derivative, Returner is also an entertaining ride.
2008, SCI FI. All rights reserved.
