When Ridley Scott filmed Black Rain in Japan and got some top players in the Japanese cinema to appear in it, it was at a time when relations between Japan and the USA were tense. Japan was in the midst of an economic boom that got a lot in America quite jealous. Can't really blame them that much as Japan's prosperity was due to American protection because Japan spent a pittance on a defense budget as compared to what we spend. When the Japanese boom eventually went bust ironically things got a whole lot better.
Michael Douglas and Andy Garcia are a pair of American cops who arrest a top Yakuza boss right in New York. They'd like to keep him here, but are ordered to extradite him to Japan as a matter of good will, sorely needed in 1989.
Upon landing in Osaka they lose the prisoner and I won't say how. Garcia's all for going back to New York and face their music but Douglas wants to get him back. It costs Garcia his life.
Some elements of the Robert Taylor/George Raft police drama Rogue Cop are present here. Douglas is a cop who at a minimum shuts his eyes to corruption and Internal Affairs is on his case. Garcia is relatively new and a Boy Scout. He's more in line with the Japanese who according to Black Rain just don't have corruption. It's all about honor and saving face in their tradition. Douglas teams up with Japanese detective Ken Takahara and they take down a pair of feuding Yakuzas more in an American movie style shootout.
Michael Douglas plays well of both Andy Garcia and Ken Takahara, their scenes have both bite and poignancy. The feuding Japanese Yakuza are played by Tomisaburo Wakayama as the older and Yusaku Matsuda as the younger and more evil and violent. Matsuda was in fact dying of cancer when he took on the role in Black Rain. I suspect a whole lot more doubling than usual was working here.
Black Rain is surely dated now that America and Japan seem to be back on track together again. It's still a good action film with some fine acting by Michael Douglas and the rest of the cast.
Michael Douglas and Andy Garcia are a pair of American cops who arrest a top Yakuza boss right in New York. They'd like to keep him here, but are ordered to extradite him to Japan as a matter of good will, sorely needed in 1989.
Upon landing in Osaka they lose the prisoner and I won't say how. Garcia's all for going back to New York and face their music but Douglas wants to get him back. It costs Garcia his life.
Some elements of the Robert Taylor/George Raft police drama Rogue Cop are present here. Douglas is a cop who at a minimum shuts his eyes to corruption and Internal Affairs is on his case. Garcia is relatively new and a Boy Scout. He's more in line with the Japanese who according to Black Rain just don't have corruption. It's all about honor and saving face in their tradition. Douglas teams up with Japanese detective Ken Takahara and they take down a pair of feuding Yakuzas more in an American movie style shootout.
Michael Douglas plays well of both Andy Garcia and Ken Takahara, their scenes have both bite and poignancy. The feuding Japanese Yakuza are played by Tomisaburo Wakayama as the older and Yusaku Matsuda as the younger and more evil and violent. Matsuda was in fact dying of cancer when he took on the role in Black Rain. I suspect a whole lot more doubling than usual was working here.
Black Rain is surely dated now that America and Japan seem to be back on track together again. It's still a good action film with some fine acting by Michael Douglas and the rest of the cast.