Back to Back (1996)

An ex-cop finds himself caught up in a battle between Japanese mobsters and local gangland thugs and discovers that he was framed for wrong-doings by a corrupt cop.

Director:

Roger Nygard

Writers:

Scott Nimerfro, Roger Nygard

Stars:

Michael Rooker, Ryo Ishibashi, Danielle Harris

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Rooker	...	Bob Malone
Ryo Ishibashi	...	Koji
Danielle Harris	...	Chelsea
John Laughlin	...	Dussecq
Kô Takasugi	...	Hideo
Bobcat Goldthwait	...	Psycho
Vincent Schiavelli	...	Leonardo
Stephen Furst	...	Jimmy
Tim Thomerson	...	Thomas
Fred Willard	...	Loan Officer
Frank D'Amico	...	Delorenzo
Leland Orser	...	Wheelchair Guy
Jake Johannsen	...	Officer Jones
Yasushi 'Bert' Kojima	...	Joe Snapper
Michael Ray Miller	...	Deviant

Storyline

An ex-cop finds himself caught up in a battle between Japanese mobsters and local gangland thugs and discovers that he was framed for wrong-doings by a corrupt cop.

---

Plot Keywords:

yakuza | brawl | two man army | violence | martial arts | 

---

Taglines:

It's time to clean house

---

Genres:

Action | Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence

Details

Official Sites:

First Look Pictures

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 August 1996 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Back to Back: American Yakuza 2

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

NEO Motion Pictures, Ozla Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

DTS-Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Follows American Yakuza (1993)

---

Soundtracks

"Every Time You Touch Me"
Performed by Patty Page
Written by Finley Duncan

User Reviews

Action movie with Comedy Cast

Michael Rooker is a decent actor, but he has no business being the lead except in a low budget movie. He really does not have much charisma. Ryo Ishibashi has a lot more screen presence, and sadly he is not really the main character. Most of the screen time goes to the brick-faced Rooker.

Danielle Harris (from the Halloween 4 and 5 movies) plays his daughter, and she is cute and entertaining but she is written as not being too smart and one of her dumb mistakes gets one of the main characters killed. Comedians Fred Willard, Bobcat Goldthwait, and Stephen Furst are here in interesting roles. Just watching what happens to these characters is priceless.

Vincent Schiavelli plays the Consigliare to the local Mafia Godfather, and it is hard to tell whether or not he is working the movie as a comedy. Tim Thomerson is also in this movie. He seems to be in every extremely low budget direct-to-video action movie. Thomerson is also in some low-budget comedies. Seeing so many comedians and comic actors in this film made it feel like a spoof. Is it a parody of a Yakuza movie? It is hard to tell at some points. There is certainly very little Yakuza action.

The supporting cast of Thugs and Goons is menacing and well cast. Some of these kinds of movies have Thugs that look like they work at the local Comic Book Store or as stock boys at Piggly-Wiggly. Overall this movie is very uneven. At some points it seems like a comedy or a parody. Then at other points it works as a good action movie. Then it sputters to an end. Without the contributions of Danielle Harris and Ryo Ishibashi this movie would rate a Zero in my humble opinion.