Black Rain (1989/I)

Director:

Ridley Scott

Writers (WGA):

Craig Bolotin (written by) &
Warren Lewis (written by)

Release Date:

22 September 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

An American Cop in Japan. Their country. Their laws. Their game. His rules.

Plot:

Two New York cops get involved in a gang war between members of the Yakuza, the Japanese Mafia. They...

Plot Keywords:

Mafia | Japan | Yakuza | New York | Shootout

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Michael Douglas	...	Nick
Andy Garcia	...	Charlie
Ken Takakura	...	Masahiro
Kate Capshaw	...	Joyce
Yusaku Matsuda	...	Sato
Shigeru Kôyama	...	Ohashi (as Shigeru Koyama)
John Spencer	...	Oliver
Guts Ishimatsu	...	Katayama
Yûya Uchida	...	Nashida
Tomisaburo Wakayama	...	Sugai
Miyuki Ono	...	Miyuki
Luis Guzmán	...	Frankie (as Luis Guzman)
John Costelloe	...	The Kid (as John A. Costelloe)
Stephen Root	...	Berg
Richard Riehle	...	Crown

Runtime:

125 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Japanese

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby SR (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Netherlands:16 | Brazil:14 | New Zealand:M | Australia:M | Argentina:18 | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16 | Singapore:M18 | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

1000 N. Crescent Drive, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Howard Atherton shot most of the film, but he got so frustrated in Japan that he resigned. Jan de Bont was brought in to finish the rest of the film.

Goofs:

Continuity: The orientation of the shotgun after Sugai's bodyguard tosses it to Nick.

Quotes:

Nick Conklin: A couple of guys I used to work with in the department took some money from some drug dealers. No big deal.
Matsumoto Masahiro: They stole?
Nick Conklin: They liberated funds.
Matsumoto Masahiro: Theft is theft. There is no gray area.
Nick Conklin: Hey Matsu, New York is one big gray area.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Black Rain: The Script, the Cast (2006) (V)

Soundtrack:

BEYOND THE SEA

An awesome flick that no one ever talks about

This is a very overlooked character driven action film by Ridley Scott. His visuals have been discussed at great length for films like Alien, and Blade Runner. However Black Rain almost matches his prior films in terms of visual beauty. The film is given a surrealistic look, that strengthens the exotic back drop. Michael Douglas is superb at playing cops and loners, and here he demonstrates why hes a star. His character is a complete bad ass, and I'd like to see him take on a few more of these roles before he gets too old. The writing isn't masterful but its very effective for the genre. I've always loved the theme of American cops going over to a foreign land and experiencing all the culture shock, and sense of alienation.

Great movie 9/10