Toru Nakamura

Imagine the world and age that you live in unfolding under slightly different circumstances -- what would life be like if our familiar history took a different route? Instead of fighting each other, Japan and the United States have teamed with one another to bring down Hitler during World War II -- and instead of bombs being dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Enola Gay flew its fateful mission over Berlin, effectively bringing an end to the Nazi reign of terror. When a terrorist attack unleashes destruction upon a museum housing a collection of priceless ancient artifacts, J.B.I. Agent Masayuki Sakamoto (Jang Dong-Gun) discovers an underground band of freedom fighters willing to pay the ultimate price to acquire the mythical "Lunar Soul." As the mystery comes into light and Sakamoto discovers that everything he has ever known could be little more than a complex illusion, political intrigue and speculative science fiction combine to bring viewers one of the most compelling and original fantasy films that South Korea has to offer. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Former screenwriter for Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Kunitoshi Manda makes his directorial debut with this understated drama about a woman who is defiantly happy where she is in life. A skilled employee at the local city hall, Mitsuko (Yuko Moriguchi) refuses to take the civil service exam that would advance her career -- much to the chagrin of her boss and co-workers. Her work on a report catches the attention of a well-groomed owner of a wildly successful software company named Eiji (Toru Nakamura). After a year of being divorced, he dreams finding Ms. Right. When Mitsuko refuses his offers of employment, he asks her out on a date. Following a spontaneous night of lovemaking in her modest apartment, Eiji takes her to an exclusive boutique where he buys her a fabulously expensive cocktail dress with matching shoes. He then escorts her to an equally ritzy French restaurant, much to Mitsuko's growing apprehension. When Eiji ducks out of dinner on emergency business, she makes a beeline to the nearest homespun noodle shop. When they meet again, she gives Eiji back the dress and tells him that the high-roller lifestyle he circulates in just is not for her. A couple days later, Mitsuko runs into Hiroshi (Shunsuke Matsuoka), a 28-year-old slacker who spends his time working in a warehouse and strumming on his guitar. Mitsuko finds his lack of pretensions comforting. Yet when Eiji and Hiroshi finally meet, both are baffled while Mitsuko would choose a scruffy loser over life with the beautiful people. Fits of jealousy and insecurity ensue. This film was screened at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

Young upstart cops are thrown into a maelstrom of danger in this Hong Kong-lensed action thriller. Ten tons of powerful explosives, recently recovered from smugglers, have been stolen by a Japanese terrorist group, led by criminal mastermind Akatura, and the Hong Kong police have to act quickly before the explosives fall into the wrong hands or are used against the wrong people. Chan (Eric Tsang), a effective but non-conformist police detective, decides to use cops that no one will suspect are cops; he pulls three promising but unlikely-looking students from the Police Academy and gives them a crash course on tracking terrorists. Jack (Nicholas Tse), Alien (Sam Lee), and Match (Stephen Fung) are soon sent out to infiltrate the operations of Akatura's right-hand man Daniel (Daniel Wu); along the way, they join forces with Y2K (Grace Yip), a female crime fighter with a talent for electronics. But the young cops soon discover that busting an international terrorist network is no piece of cake; their initial plan goes haywire, and they learn that Akatura plans to use his new-found firepower against the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center. Boasting a high level of visual polish, Gen-X Cops features visual effects from Joe Viskocil and Sam Nicholson, who have worked on such blockbusters as Independence Day, Apollo 13, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Jackie Chan also makes a brief cameo appearance. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this crime thriller, a hit man with the yakuza (Japanese Mafia) is in the midst of a public execution of the leader of a rival group when a woman named Gena Hayes (Virginia Madsen) happens by with her son. The child is killed in the crossfire, and Gena is determined to get revenge. About all she can remember about the killer is he had a blue tattoo of a tiger; after she asks several tattoo artists about it, she's unable to track down the shooter simply on the basis of his body art, but she ends up getting a similar tattoo herself. She gets a job as a cocktail waitress at a bar favored by members of the yakuza, and her tattoo catches the attention of Seiji (Toru Nakamura), a handsome gangster. Gena is interested in him as well, and a torrid romance develops, but she doesn't realize that her new lover is the same man who killed her son. Virginia Madsen's brother Michael Madsen makes a cameo appearance as a gun salesman. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide