Black Rain **** (1989, Michael Douglas, Andy Garcia, Ken Takakura) – Classic Movie Review 9417

The 1989 neo noir action crime movie Black Rain is a thoroughly involving, beautifully crafted cop thriller from Ridley Scott, who lifts a serviceably routine plot into an exciting movie. Michael Douglas and Andy Garcia play abrasive New York City detectives Nick Conklin and Charlie Vincent, who arrest a Japanese Yakuza gangland killer and are ordered to escort him back to Japan.

But in Japan, they lose their Japanese Yakuza prisoner, who manages to escape, and then they  lead the police chase hunt for him in Osaka.

[Spoiler alert] Alas, Garcia disappears from the movie too early, but a fit and slimmed-down Douglas makes the most of a fine opportunity, Ken Takakura appears as Masahiro, and the neglected actress Kate Capshaw is just right as a nightclub hostess, Joyce.

Stylish and pacey though the movie is, Scott cannot quite whip it up into the class of his previous 1987 cop thriller Someone to Watch Over Me, but it is still a humdinger. Jan De Bont’s Technicolor cinematography is outstanding, and Hans Zimmer’s score is notable.

Black Rain is a man’s man’s movie, with a welter of violence and strong language.

Other indispensable members of the cast are Yûsaku Matsuda, Shigeru Kôyama, John Spencer, Tomisaburô Wakayama, Luis Guzmán, John Costelloe, Stephen Root and Richard Riehle.

Black Rain is directed by Ridley Scott, runs 126 minutes, is made by Paramount Pictures, Jaffe-Lansing, Pegasus Film Partners, is released by Paramount Pictures (1989) (US) and United International Pictures (UIP) (1989) (UK), is written by Craig Bolotin and Warren Lewis, is shot in Technicolor by Jan De Bont, is produced by Stanley R Jaffe and Sherry Lansing, is scored by Hans Zimmer, and is designed by Norris Spencer, John J Moore, Herman F Zimmerman and Kazuo Takenaka.

It was extremely costly at $30,000,000, but very popular, and grossed $46,212,055 in the US, with $134,212,055 worldwide.

It was Oscar nominated Best Sound and Best Sound Effects Editing, though the other excellent technical work was neglected.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 9417

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