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• SHINJUKU INCIDENT: BIG SCREEN VS CRAPPY DVD BOOTLEG

  Wednesday, Apr 22, 2009 2:23AM / News / Hong Kong Cinema / Members only
  12 comments

  “Shinjuku Incident”, the new crime drama directed by Derek Yee (One Night in Mongkok)  starring Jackie Chan, was screened three times in its uncut  Category III version at the 33^rd Hong Kong International Film Festival, first at the opening of the festival, on March 22^nd, 2009, and then on March 30^th.

   

  

  
  

  

  
  

  For the very first screening, I noticed that the movie was showed simultanously in two theaters at the HK Convention & Exhibition Centre, a big one, and a smaller one. The ticket I bought online some weeks before (because I was not sure to have a free ticket from the festival as press: Read this) was for the smaller theater (theater 2).

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Miraculously, I could actually have a free ticket for the big theater through the HKTDC (more exactly, through the HKIFF who gave it to the HKTDC who gave it to me) but I gave it to a friend without knowing that the movie would be screened in two separate places.

   

  
  

  
  

  Anyway, during the screening in the theater where I was, there were some very serious security people who were facing the audience, watching us all the time with infrared binoculars (no joke) to be sure that nobody was recording illegally the movie.

   

  

  
  

  On April 2^nd, “Shinjuku Incident” was officially released in the Hong Kong theathers in a Category IIb shorter version.
  

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  One week later, a friend of mine, who was too lazy to see it on big screen (shame on him), bought a bootleg DVD of “Shinjuku Incident” in the streets of Mongkok.
  

  
  

  
  

   

  

  
  

  I did’t watched it, but I suppose it’s a IIb version, shot in a theater during a regular screening. The cover is quite laughable since they put a picture of Eric Tsang on the poster (he doesn’t play in the movie at all).

   

  

  
  

  “Shinjuku Incident” will be released in France by Metropolitan Filmexport maybe before the end of this year...

   

  Frédéric Ambroisine (April 20^th, 2009)

  
  

  PS: The photos below were taken in Mongkok at the Newport Theatre on  April 15^th, 2009.