A Hong Kong drug tzar, Chu Lu Fung, is behind a series of mob slayings. The Hong Kong authorities assign Inspector Smith (Callan Leung) to the case. Meanwhile, Mr. Chu’s underworld rivals seek to drive the madman out of business by hiring the best assassin in the world, Dick Togo (Sonny Chiba), known by criminals and police alike as Golgo 13 (there’s a biblical reference in there somewhere). The rival gang leader hires Togo in Miami, and sends him to China to take out Mr. Chu, who also runs a nightclub as a front for his illegal activities. Inspector Smith sends his top female undercover officer Bin Lee (Sue Shiomi) to spy on the gang and secure proof if possible. She sneaks into the gang’s headquarters and grabs some evidence, but is intercepted by some goons on the way out. She uses Karate to get away from her attackers, but no martial arts can protect against bullets. Mr. Chu takes the wounded Bin Lee into custody. When Mr. Chu hears that Togo is in Hong Kong to kill him, he orders his men to search the city for him. Meanwhile, As Dick Togo prowls the streets outside of the nightclub to plan the assassination, he witnesses a hooker shoot her abusive pimp. She tells Togo that he raped her sister and drove the little girl to suicide. Inspector Smith arrives, and the woman expects him to arrest her—but Togo sticks up for her. The Inspector meets Togo for the first time, and Togo explains the pimp was murdered by another attacker who escaped. The woman thanks Togo for protecting her, but before he can reply, a cadre of Mr. Chu’s enforcers jumps them. Togo uses street fighting techniques to quickly dispatch the criminals.

Inspector Smith discovers the location of Mr. Chu’s drug factory and leads his police unit against Mr. Chu’s thugs, to rescue Bin Lee. The slimy Mr. Chu himself tortures her, then uses her life to bargain with the police. The resulting exchange of gunfire kills many on both sides, and Bin Lee herself takes a bullet. Inspector Smith promises Mr. Chu that he will bust his ass. Smith blinds one of the henchmen, causing him to accidentally blow the factory sky high (and taking all evidence with it). Mr. Chu’s beautiful but untrustworthy wife calls the police and informs them that Golgo 13 is in town. It turns out that the Inspector and Golgo 13 have an unresolved issue, even though he’s never met Togo. The Inspector must now divide his attention between Mr. Chu’s gang and Golgo 13. Togo learns that Mr. Chu is the guest of honor at a community outing (the people think he’s an upstanding citizen) and decides to use this opportunity to wipe him out. The police and gang members know that Togo will attack then and prepare countermeasures. Togo finally has a clear shot at the slimeball, but before he can pull the trigger, another unseen sniper takes Mr. Chu out! Togo is enraged, and calls his employers and threatens them for setting him up. His employers swear they have nothing to do with it, and offer up another bounty to take out the mastermind behind Mr. Chu’s death. Togo does some soul-searching and fights off various assassination attempts on himself while tracking down leads.

The trail leads to a man named Polanski (Jerry Ito), an American diplomat. Because of Polanski’s political ties, Togo finds it difficult to get a bead on him. Instead he follows Polanski to Japan. But Togo is aware that Inspector Smith himself is tailing the assassin. Togo follows Polanski around Japan learning all the can about Polanski’s illegal activities. Inspector Smith finally catches Togo in his hotel room, and they play a game of cat and mouse—until Togo escapes. Inspector Smith, Polanski, and Togo return to Hong Kong unaware they are being followed. Polanski escapes to an impregnable island fortress surrounded by the best mercenaries money can buy. Inspector Smith finally traps his quarry, Dick Togo, but not before Togo unloads his weapons on his accomplice—the same women he protected earlier. The police try to interrogate him, but the man is not intimidated in the least. Inspector Smith goes ballistic when his superiors order him to let Golgo 13 go. After all, they have evidence that Mr. Chu’s death occurred at the hands of another shooter. Inspector Smith gets to vent his frustration when he learns of Polanski’s underworld activities. However, Polanski’s diplomatic ties allow him to go untouched in the eyes of the law. Both Golgo 13 and Inspector Smith descend upon the island to put Polanski out of commission. But can they get the job done without stepping on each other’s toes?

GOLGO 13: ASSIGNMENT KOWLOON is not really a martial arts film. Oh sure, Sonny Chiba does his usual two-step Karate moves that incapacitate his opponents, and Sue Shiomi gets to take out some thugs, but GOLGO 13: ASSIGNMENT KOWLOON is really a cross pollination of cop drama and sniper picture with a manga influence. Director Yukio Noda enhances this unique combination by treading the line of sleazy exploitation. The end result is a movie high on blood, death, nudity, assassinations, and low on martial arts choreography (not that there’s anything wrong with that). Much of Chiba’s screen time is dedicated to his sniper hits. However, the non exploitation scenes that feature Callan Leung going after Chiba going after Jerry Ito bring down the movie. Despite all the violence, shootings, and nudity, the movie still has moments where it drags. There are some moments of brilliance in GOLGO 13: ASSIGNMENT KOWLOON however, such as when another assassin beats Golgo 13 to the punch. When the police arrest Golgo 13, the interrogation affects the police more than it does the prisoner. Another scene has a lethal lass seduce Golgo 13 until he (seemingly) lowers his guard to allow another killer to shoot him. The character of Dick Togo is unkillable and very interesting, like if James Bond turned to the dark side. Chiba really excels in his performance of the ultimate hard-guy, Dick Togo, but also brings the human element to the character as well.

John Woo must have seen GOLGO 13: ASSIGNMENT KOWLOON, because this movie is a blueprint for THE KILLER and about a dozen other Hong Kong shoot ‘em ups. The way Sonny Chiba looks down the barrel of his rifle is very similar to the way Chow Yun Fat does it (only Chiba did years before). The relationship between Sonny Chiba and Callan Leung is identical to the one between Danny Lee and Chow Yun Fat. They all have their own code of honor, and it doesn’t matter what side of the law they are on. Callan Leung doesn’t like Dick Togo, even when he discovers that Togo wants to destroy the same crime syndicate responsible for the death of Bin Lee. Sonny Chiba also shares a deep relationship with the prostitute he saved from the police. Here Chiba demonstrates his acting range and proves he’s more than just an unfeeling killing machine. Jerry Ito, the main villain from Toho’s MOTHRA (1962), once again plays a corrupt government official. Sue Shiomi is only in the movie for about 10 minutes, but every frame of film she’s in something interesting is happening. GOLGO 13: ASSIGNMENT KOWLOON has no shortage of beautiful Chinese and Japanese women in skimpy outfits, either.

SIGHT
The English and Cantonese language are actually two different versions. Both are in the original 2.35.1. ratio, with minimal picture information running off the side of the screen. The Cantonese language version is the better quality of the two. The English subtitles have a yellow tint, but a really poor font that makes quick reading difficult. Plus, the subtitles leak off the side of the screen. The English language version is windowboxed, meaning the English subtitles are matted from the bottom of the picture. This dictates that the lower portion of the image is missing some real estate. Both versions suffer from nics, scratches, and film grain, but nothing that classic martial arts fans are not used to. The Cantonese version is slightly clearer and more colorful. GOLGO 13: ASSIGNMENT KOWLOON features some impressive low-budget cinematography including several shots of Hong Kong skyscrapers and Japanese temples. The detail for these scenes is not the best. The police action, gunplay sequences, and brawling setpieces are nicely preserved in the image. Flesh tones are full, and the scantily clad women look all the better for it. If the subtitles were easier to read, the transfer would rate higher.

SOUND
The soundtrack for both versions of GOLGO 13: ASSIGNMENT KOWLOON are Dolby Digital Mono 2.0. The Cantonese version features Cantonese-dubbed dialog which sounds decent enough. In fact the entire Cantonese version has superior acoustics than it’s English counterpart. It’s no secret that Crash’s early releases has had problems in the audio department. The English dub on this disc falls into this category. The English dialog (dubbed by the usual crew of HK vocal artists) is buried in the mix. When you turn up the volume so you can hear the dialog, background noise, hiss, and distortion is the result. The sound effects (such as the gunshots, explosions, and martial arts fights) are audible, though a bit flat and tinny. GOLGO 13: ASSIGNMENT KOWLOON features a cool score, consisting of lounge music (for the nightclub scenes) and some dramatic Spaghetti Western warbling. The music is prominent and never distorts.

FEATURES
When you load up the disc, you are prompted to select either the Cantonese or English language version. The next menu that appears allows you to view the trailer or access chapter selection. The trailer is in the original language (without subs) and in widescreen (2.35.1) and runs 3:14. The trailer is in better condition than the feature itself.

CONCLUSION
Folks who are die-hard fans of Sonny Chiba will delight seeing their hero in something different and fresh than STREET FIGHTER XX. I’ve never read the original GOLGO 13 manga, but I reckon if you are a fan of that you will be disappointed with GOLGO 13: ASSIGNMENT KOWLOON. However, no one can deny how perfect Sonny Chiba is in bringing Dick Togo to life. The movie is weak in many areas because the producers just didn’t quite know what to do with the franchise. Crash Cinema presents an impressive DVD package, notwithstanding the questionable picture quality, of course (but at least it’s widescreen!). It’s their only disc which offers Cantonese and English versions on a single disc, and for that they are to be commended. You have to give Crash Cinema their due, at least until someone else steps up and gives these obscure classics the attention they deserve.

REVIEW:
Despite extensive location shoots and plenty of action this B-rated, James Bond-like film starring Asian cult hero Sonny Chiba pales next to "The Street Fighter," his most infamous film character.

As usual, Chiba snarls and frowns his way through the film in his characteristically stiff but brutally charismatic performance as the mysterious hitman, Golgo 13. Unfortunately, all the other actors perform horridly, diminishing any credibility Chiba's character might have had. The film plays like a comic book come to life with goofy dialogue (at least in the English dubbing), two-dimensional characters and over-the-top violence. But any attempt to capitalize on this as a cult hit is lost as the overall effect just makes the film laughable for the wrong reasons.

Although much of the filming takes place in Hong Kong with a number of recognizable players, the fight choreography is handled poorly including dreaded roundhouse punches (usually associated with American film) swinging wide. Chiba, who isn't known for his graceful fighting style doesn't get to put his skills on display much and its a good thing since no one looks particularly flattering here.

With an interesting plot wasted on bad acting, worse choreography, and a lack of vision, "Golgo 13" has little to offer. Diehard fans of Chiba or '70's exploitation film might find something of interest here but others are advised to stand clear of this cooked turkey.