Starring:
Michael Douglas as Det. Sgt. Nick Conklin
Andy Garcia as Det. Charlie Vincent
Ken Takakura as Asst. Insp. Masahiro Matsumoto
Kate Capshaw as Joyce
Yusaku Matsuda as Sato
Shigeru Kôyama as Superintendent Ohashi
John Spencer as Captain Oliver
Guts Ishimatsu as Katayama
Yuya Uchida as Nashida
Tomisaburo Wakayama as Sugai
Miyuki Ono as Miyuki
Luis Guzmán as Frankie
John Costelloe as The Kid
Stephen Root as Berg, Internal Affairs
Richard Riehle as Crown, Internal Affairs
Special Features:
Commentary by director Ridley Scott
“Black Rain: The Script, The Cast” featurette
“Black Rain: Making the Film Part 1” featurette
“Black Rain: Making the Film Part 2” featurette
“Black Rain: Post Production” featurette
Other Info:
Widescreen
English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround EX
English 2.0 Surround
French Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
English Subtitles
Running Time: 125 Minutes
Synopsis:
“Black Rain” was originally released in 1989. The following is from the DVD cover:
“From Oscar®-nominated director Ridley Scott (Gladiator) comes this stylish, star-powered crime thriller that crackles with heart-pounding action and taut suspense. Academy Award®-winner Michael Douglas is electrifying as Nick Conklin, a rough-and-tumble NYC detective under investigation for corruption. Ordered to escort a cold-blooded killer named Sato back to his native Japan, Nick and his partner Charlie (Oscar® nominee Andy Garcia) unwittingly deliver Sato into the hands of his own gang. With assistance from a by-the-book Japanese cop (Ken Takakura) and a beautiful club hostess (Kate Capshaw), the American cops chase Sato through Osaka’s seamy underworld, as Nick fights to recapture something as important as the criminal he lost: his honor.”
“Black Rain” is rated R.
Mini-Review:
I saw “Black Rain” when it first came out in the late 80’s, but I had forgotten just how many big names worked on it behind the scenes. It was directed by Ridley Scott, shot by Jan de Bont, and scored by Hans Zimmer. (In fact, this was the first collaboration between Zimmer and Scott who went on to do “Gladiator” together.) It’s your classic culture clash tale combined with your classic cop team-up tale. Michael Douglas’ tough guy character perfectly matched with Ridley Scott’s talent for shooting exotic locations. Despite the great location and interesting concept, it does have a few pitfalls. The 80’s music is really dated now and the film tends to drag on during its over 2 hour running time. Still, it’s interesting to see all these great talents come together. If you’re into Japanese culture, crime dramas, Ridley Scott, or Michael Douglas, then this film is required viewing for you.
While “Black Rain” has been on DVD before, the bonus features included here are all new. There is a three part “making of” documentary featuring new interviews with Michael Douglas, Ridley Scott, Andy Garcia, Kate Capshaw, and more. It details how the script came about, the actors doing research with real New York detectives, shooting in Japan, and other cool stuff. It’s fairly detailed. Rounding out the bonus features is a commentary by Ridley Scott.
