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Yar, you be here: Black Rain > Customer Reviews Black Rain Customer Reviews (1 - 3 of 10 Reviews)Very good but a little disappointing
I finally saw this movie yesterday, 15 years after it was released. I had read "Rising Sun" and have watched the movie version of it, and was interested in Japanese culture and the perception of the Japanese back in the late 80's and early 90's. So I ordered "Black Rain" and though it also addresses Japanese-American cultural differences, has plenty of action and is stylistic, it was kind of a letdown. The movie didn't seem to pick up until Andy Garcia's character got his head lopped off (perhaps not such a bad thing), which was an hour into it. After that I enjoyed it quite a bit, but unfortunately my impression of "Black Rain" is not much more than a semi-cheesy 80's buddy cop movie, of which there are so many already. If it's buddy cop flicks you like, "Rising Sun" is a far better movie dealing with similar themes and cultural perspectives. If you are interested in these things, then the book by Michael Crichton is even better. Plus, it was a bit difficult for me to be convinced of Michael Douglas's tough-cop role in "Black Rain" with that hideous perm he's sporting. Overall, a good movie but there are certainly better ones which are just as entertaining, stylistic, educational, and sexy. A 'Rising Sun'-like bubble film and a guilty pleasure
'Black Rain' came out in 1989. It's shown a lot of legs (it was on HBO last weekend) for two reasons: first and foremost, it's a Ridley Scott film, nuff said; second, it is - as the amazon reviewer pointed out - a wonderfully guilty pleasure, featuring such delightful absurdities as Kate Capeshaw (Mrs. Steven Spielberg, for god's sake) crammed into some va-va-voom sequined outfit, and sportin' some seriously tousled Big 80s hair. And speaking of big hair, that's one excellent mullet being chaperoned around by Michael Douglas. It is, after all, 1989. I'll put this film in the same category as Philip Kaufman's 'Rising Sun' - 1989 was the height (of absurdity, as it turns out) of the Japanese bubble economy, and Japan-focused films of this age spoke to the fear or at least latent concern about the Japanese economic model eventually besting the US model. So, in light of a dramatically different Japan circa 2005, 'Black Rain' looks a little over the top. But, hey, this is a movie, and this is Ridely Scott. You want subtlety? Look elsewhere. The real star of the film (if you can look around Mr. Douglas' most excellent rants and rages) is regal Japanese star Ken Takakura as Detective Masahiro. His IMDB filmography lists 130 substantial roles in his prolific history and calls him "the Clint Eastwood of Japan," not faint praise in anyone's book. Mr. Takahura literally holds the film together, acting as the bridge between the Douglas/Garcia side of the film, and the Japanese side of the film. It's great work. Culture Clash
Black Rain may not have some of the epic qualities of other Ridley Scott films, like Blade Runner, Gladiator, or even Black Hawk Down, but it is still a solid cop thrller/fish out of water story. Just as New York detective Mike Conklin (Michael Douglas) faces an investigation for corruption, Japan's yakuza hit man Sato (Yusaku Matsuda) kills two American mobsters in New York, he's then extradited to Osaka to face trial. Conklin and his partner Charlie Vincent (Andy Garcia) are assigned as his escorts back home. Mistakenly turning over their prisoner to yakuza disguised as police, Conklin and Vincent realize, after running down some blind alleys, that they have no chance of finding Sato in the unfamiliar city and enlist the services of Japanese desk cop Masahiro "Mas" Masumoto (Ken Takakura). While relaxing with Mas at a karaoke bar, the cops also get information on the world of the yakuza from Joyce Kinglsey (Kate Capshaw), a high-class bargirl. As they continue the search for Sato, the scrupulous, methodical, and civilized style of Japanese police work rubs the improvisational, rule-breaking Americans the wrong way. All three men must find a way to work together though, to succeed. Scott certainly knows how to keep the action moving at a nice pace. Douglas is very good playing yet another cop on the edge. A very young Garcia makes the most of a fairly predictable role. Takakura gets along well with his "american" compatriots. His character is as much out of his element, while adjusting to the two westerners, as the two americans are. This makes the film even more fun. Special mention has to be made of the superb photography of future director Jan de Bont, who had just come off of Die Hard, in the movie. The Japan backdrop looks great and is at its grittiest. The film's biggest problem lies within its script. Some of its twists are easy to forecast before they occur. Fortunately though, everything else works pretty well, so as not to bring down the flick. I like Black Rain a whole lot and would welcome a special edition DVD release of the movie. As it stands right now though, the current disc only has the theatrical trailer, for its bonus material. Since most Ridley Scott films make for great SE DVDs, I'm sure if done right, Black Rain would be as well. Recommended.
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