Golgo 13: Assigment Kowloon

And we're back again.  Yeah two in a row, it must be confusing as hell.   Hello ladies and gents.   I will be pushing more Sonny Chiba on you and you're gonna take it.   Yeah that may have sounded a lot more filthy than intended.  Today's film is based on a Manga which has existed from creator Takao Saito of Big Comic since 1968.  This film is oddly enough the sequel to its predecessor that came out in 1973.   This is Golgo 13: Assignment Kowloon.

The post office is gonna pay.

The previous movie had actor Ken Takakura of Manhunt, The Yellow Hankerchief, The Yakuza, Black Rain, Mr. Baseball, 47 Ronin and The Firefly as lead character Golgo 13/ Duke Togo.   This time we have Sonny Chiba, who honestly resembles the Manga character more so.  You'd swear they modeled Duke after Chiba.  Solid muscle yet lean build, piercing eyes and mirrored aviator's glasses.

Once again a Toei Production as so many drama and science fiction films in Japan, our hired killer is hired by an American mob to bump off Chou Lei Fang (Nick Lam Wai Kei of Dangerous Encounters, The Amazing Spider-Man, Stoner, Twisted Love and Mercenaries) , a key member of the same mob via Hong Kong branch. 

And what can you bring to this firm?

Concerned how public this assignment must be, Togo cases the location, checks wind and exit locations but notices a capable detective Smith (Lun Chia of Cold Blooded Murder, Qi wu shi, Killer Rose, The Lost Generation and Magnum Thunderbolt) trying to get Chou on drug trafficking charges.   He sent in his aid Lin Li (Etsuko Shiomi of Fall Guy, Moon Mask Rider, Kabamaru the Ninja, Legend of Eight Samurai, The Audition, Shadow Warriors IV and Cabaret)to infiltrate the drug trade but she is captured by Chou's men after she was wailing the monkey crap out of his men. 

Chou and Smith both are aware of the arrival of Golgo 13.   For Smith, Golgo 13 sniped a foreign diplomat he was protecting.  Trying to get his chief to arrest Chou for his own protection, the chief reluctantly agrees after Chou's presentation... the presentation that he is scheduled to most likely get shot at.  Derp!  Togo in position to take the shot but a white girl pops Chou before him and Togo knows now he's the fall guy.   He hightails it out, chucking his weapons and disappears.

Go Speed Racer GoooOOoo!!!

Chou's widow Leika (Dana of Infra-Man, Bruce Li in New Guinea, The Bamboo House, Miao Jie nu q and Wan Zai si tiao nu) clearly heartbroken over the death of her husband does the humpty dance with Togo as part of the grieving stage no doubt.  Duke "pumps" her for information ending that "interrogation" with a gun fight.

Can Golgo 13 find out who screwed him over?  How many more bodies ending up on the slab?

When you think about it, this is one of the first comic book movie with an R rating.  Suck it Deadpool!   


Rounding off at 83 minutes, mild nudity and a fair degree of gun and hand-to-hand violence, it's an impressive story, Chiba is a bad ass who even gets off one of those bullet through the telescope shots.  I had fun with this.  Hell the whole point of watching this flick is the the wharf fight scene alone.  Six toughs attempt to gut Togo and well...you have to see it to believe it.

Pushy waiter!  No tip!