Black Rain

In this film, Michael Douglas is Nick Conklin, a tough and abrasive NYC cop who is under suspicion of having skimmed off some of the loot confiscated in drug busts. By chance he happens two witness a pair of murders; he captures the murderer, who turns out to be a Japanese Yakuza gangster who is wanted in Japan. The Japanese request extradition, and Conklin and his partner take the gangster back to Japan, where they are immediately bamboozled by fake Japanese police who spirit the gangster away.

Humiliated, Conklin sets out to recapture the gangster. As they try to track him down, they get deeper and deeper into the Japanese mafia scene and they have to learn that they can only win by playing the game the Japanese way.

Okay, except for the Japanese element, this sounds pretty much like a standard cop flick, and that's precisely what it is. The movie tries to draw strength from culture clash, but unfortunately, although technically its depiction of Japan is correct, the Japanese seem not to be humans that you can understand, like, or hate, but simply latter-day oriental stereotypes.

In some scenes, Scott demonstrates that sharp sense of cinematic style that is the saving grace of his pictures -- his depiction of Japan at night are BLADE RUNNER for real, showing off his ability to turn reality into science fiction. I would say that your expectations should be set properly: BLACK RAIN is nothing extraordinary, but it is reasonable light entertainment.

Anonymous