Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991)

Two L.A. cops with opposing views on what is the best way to uphold the law have to work together to bring down the Yakuza, while trying to protect a beautiful woman.

Director:

Mark L. Lester

Writers:

Stephen Glantz, Caliope Brattlestreet

Stars:

Dolph Lundgren, Brandon Lee, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dolph Lundgren	...	Sgt. Chris Kenner
Brandon Lee	...	Johnny Murata
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa	...	Funekei Yoshida
Tia Carrere	...	Minako Okeya
Toshishiro Obata	...	Sato
Philip Tan	...	Tanaka
Rodney Kageyama	...	Eddie
Ernie Lively	...	Detective Nelson
Renee Allman	...	Angel Mueller (as Renee Griffin)
Reid Asato	...	Muto
Takayo Fischer	...	Mama Yamaguchi
Simon Rhee	...	Ito
Vernee Watson	...	Nonnie Russell - Coroner (as Vernee Watson-Johnson)
Lenny Imamura	...	Kickboxer #1
Roger Yuan	...	Kickboxer #2

Storyline

Detective Chris Kenner was orphaned as a child as his father was in the service and was killed and lived in Japan. Now he is on the trail of ruthless Yakuza leader named Yoshido, who helped establish a small Japanese area in Los Angeles and is now running a drug ring disguised as a brewery. However, Kenner must team up with a Japanese-American detective named Johnny Murata, and he also must protect a witness named Minako who would testify against Yoshido. But what Kenner will soon discover that he will be in a lot more than what he bargained for.

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Plot Keywords:

yakuza | detective | japanese american | little tokyo | violence | 

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Taglines:

One's a warrior. One's a wiseguy. They're two Los Angeles cops going after Japan's top mobster...Feet first.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence, and for language, sensuality and drug use

Did You Know?

Trivia

At the crime scene, when Kenner is shown the decapitated girl's dead body, the church in the background is the same building seen in "Prince of Darkness (1987)." It's a historical landmark, the first Christian church in Little Tokyo, that was repaired and became the Union Center for the Arts after the 1994 earthquake.

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Goofs

When Kenner gets shot in the final scene at the parade, he says to Murata that the bullet went straight through, however when he is fighting there is clearly no exit wound on his back

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Quotes

Johnny Murata: [about to enter the Bansai Club] I'm warning you, I don't eat raw fish. But that's just me.

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Alternate Versions

US version rated 'R' (released in vhs, laserdisc, and dvd in the US) is cut (totalling 13 seconds) as follows:

• The party in the pool lost a shot of an Oriental man walking with a topless woman
• Several shots of Yoshida caressing Angel before choping her head are deleted
• The exact chopping of Angel's head is shown in two different angles, but only one in the R version.
• When the coroner opens the body bag, in the unrated version we get to enjoy two shots completely of Angel's seperated head, but the R has only one intact.
• When Kenner stabs the fat guy under water, one brief shot of Kenner twisting the knife in the stomach while blood pours out, is removed. The cut FI-version is based on the full, unrated uncut version, so it features almost all material cut from it!

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Connections

Featured in David Walliams' Awfully Good: Awfully Good Movies (2011)

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Soundtracks

Round and Round
Written and Produced by Kris Kurry
Performed by K.K. Wilde
Courtesy of Platinum Records, Inc.
[plays at the pool party]

User Reviews

Give it a break!

Reading some of these comments, it occurred to me no one seems to know how to have fun anymore. This movie is not meant to be a great movie. I don't think any of the actors had intention of trying for an oscar. It's simply a fun movie. The action sequences are pretty cool and the one liners are hysterical. Dolph Lundgren and Brandon Lee are a great action pair. The chemistry between them is amazing. If you just want to watch a movie that's going to make you laugh, and get some good action with it, I highly recommend Showdown.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Warner Bros [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Japanese

Release Date:

23 August 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sgt. K.

Filming Locations:

Long Beach, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$455,192, 25 August 1991

Gross USA:

$2,275,557

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,275,557

Company Credits

Production Co:

Little Tokyo Productions, Original Pictures, Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

79 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1