Assignment Kowloon
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is a 1977 Japanese-language action
thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...
starring Sonny Chiba as the international assassin Golgo 13. It is the second live-action movie based on the
manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
series ''
Golgo 13 is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Takao Saito, published in Shogakukan's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Big Comic'' since October 1968. The series follows the title character, a professional assassin for hire. ''Golgo ...
'', after the eponymous 1973 JapaneseIranian film starring Ken Takakura.


Plot

Master assassin Duke Togo—codenamed "Golgo 13"—is hired by an American crime syndicate to kill Chou Lei Fang, a powerful member of the syndicate's Hong Kong branch who has been selling their drugs through his own channels. At the same time, he has to keep an eye out on Smith, a hard-boiled Hong Kong detective who is hell-bent on taking down Chou and his drug-manufacturing organization. One night, an undercover officer named Lin Li follows Chou and infiltrates his drug factory, but she is shot and captured by his henchmen. The next day, Smith locates Chou's factory after a group of children find Lin Li's communicator, but Lin Li is killed during a shootout and the factory is destroyed. By this time, both Chou and Smith have been made aware that Golgo is in Hong Kong. Smith has a personal vendetta on Golgo, who assassinated a foreign diplomat he was assigned to protect a year earlier. Because of this, Smith urges the police chief to issue a warrant to arrest Chou before Golgo gets to him first. The next day, during a ceremony to open a public swimming pool funded by Chou, Golgo prepares to shoot the drug lord from a nearby building, but a female Caucasian assassin named Leika gets to Chou first. While Smith and his men presume it was Golgo that killed Chou, Golgo suspects someone in Hong Kong higher than Chou ordered the hit. The American syndicate offers Golgo an extra US$100,000 to track down the mastermind. Shortly after Chou's funeral, his widow Li Hua and Leika are killed by Golgo while attempting to trap him and put him down. Golgo travels to Japan to follow Poranian diplomat Polansky, who had strong ties with Chou. There, he discovers that Polansky is seeking U.S. asylum from the FBI in exchange for vital information related to Chou's drug trafficking network. At the same time, Smith follows the trail and manages to arrest Golgo when the assassin returns to Hong Kong. Smith attempts to interrogate Golgo, but to no avail, as the assassin is released after police discover that it was Leika who assassinated Chou. On his way to the U.S. Embassy, Golgo is ambushed by a hitman named Schilz, but he kills Schilz, despite being shot in the leg. Meanwhile, Smith and his team discover that Polansky has been receiving drug shipments from all over Southeast Asia, but the police cannot touch him due to diplomatic immunity. Golgo recovers from his wound and heads for Sekirei Island, where Polansky is hiding. Despite having no jurisdiction, Smith and his men raid Sekirei Island. Polansky attempts to escape via helicopter, but Golgo - who is hanging by the side of a cliff, guns him down, sending him out of the helicopter and crashing into the ocean. His body and the briefcase containing evidence of his involvement with Chou's assassination are recovered by Smith's team. The next day, Golgo and Smith meet again at Kai Tak Airport. Smith punches Golgo, vowing to lock him up should he ever return to Hong Kong.


Cast

* Sonny Chiba as Duke Togo/Golgo 13 * Callan Leung as Dirk Chang Smith * Etsuko Shihomi as Lin Li *
Jerry Ito Jerry Ito (July 12, 1927 in New York City, New York – July 8, 2007 in Los Angeles, California) was a Japanese-United States, American film and television actor, born as Gerald Tamekichi Itō, specializing in Japanese films throughout the 1950s, 1 ...
as Polansky * Alan Chui as Poison Spider Black Dragon (cameo) * Clayton as Rocky Brown * Yao Lin Chen as Chan * Emi Shindo as Yip Lin * Elaine Sung as Kong Laan * Dana as Leika * Kōji Tsuruta as Senzō Shigemune


Home media

''Golgo 13: Assignment Kowloon'' was bundled with '' The Bullet Train'' and '' Executioner'' in the ''Kill Chiba Collection'' Region 1 DVD set by Crash Cinema on May 18, 2004. On November 20, 2007, BCI Eclipse released the film in their ''Sonny Chiba Collection'' DVD set, which also includes ''The Bullet Train'', ''
Dragon Princess ''Dragon Princess'' is a 1975 karate film directed by Yutaka Kohira. Plot The film opens with Isshin Higaki (Sonny Chiba) and his daughter Yumi Higaki (Etsuko Shihomi) being attacked by a rival karate master, Hironobu Nikaido ( Bin Amatsu) wh ...
'', ''
The Bodyguard A bodyguard is an individual who protects another from harm or threats. Bodyguard may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * The Bodyguard (1944 film), ''The Bodyguard'' (1944 film), a Tom and Jerry short * Bodyguard (1948 film), ...
'', ''
Karate Warriors Karate Warriors ( ja, 子連れ殺人拳, ) is a 1976 Japanese martial arts film starring Sonny Chiba. Plot Chico arrives in a city where there are two warring gangs. Chico gets wind of a large hidden stash of heroin owned by the, now dead, forme ...
'', and '' Sister Street Fighter''. In the UK, the film was bundled with ''The Bullet Train'' and ''
G.I. Samurai aka ''Time Slip'', is a 1979 Japanese science fiction/ action film focusing on the adventures of a modern-day Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) team that accidentally travels in time to the . The ...
'' in ''The Sonny Chiba Collection Vol. 2'' Region 2 DVD set by Optimum Home Releasing.


References


External links

* {{Golgo 13 1977 films 1977 action films Live-action films based on manga Films set in Hong Kong Films set in Kyoto Films set in Macau Films set in Miami Films set in Tokyo Films set on islands Films shot in Hong Kong Films shot in Japan Films shot in Macau Golgo 13 Japanese action films 1970s Japanese-language films Toei Company films 1970s Japanese films