the audience applauded

Best movie ever!

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

First of all, I'm not a film snob. I love ridiculous action movies and I enjoy a good 80s cop movie. And yes, there is always some sexism and cultural insensitivity inherent in any older movie - it comes with the territory. Usually I just look past it or ignore it or laugh it off. But less than 30 minutes into this movie, I'm wondering why the h-e-double-hockey-sticks haven't the Japanese police force kicked those two stupid American cops out of their country!Michael Douglas plays Nick, a thoroughly unlikeable New York detective with no apparent redeeming qualities. The film presents him as the troubled hero, with children and an ex wife and bills to pay and those pesky Internal Affairs cops dogging his steps. And yeah, he might be a little dirty but hey, he's just like you and me, right? Ha. If he has any good qualities, you forget about them as soon as he opens his mouth. He hardly says a word in this movie to friend or foe that isn't some kind of abuse, showing off his "tough guy" attitude, his "I'm a badass American cop, watch how manly and rough I am" persona. He spouts so much abuse at any character that crosses his path, I was really hoping he would get killed off. But nope! No such luck!He and his younger, much more likable (but still kind of a jerk) partner Charlie escort Japanese criminal Sato back to Japan where they unwittingly allow him to escape. Whoops. Then they proceed to bluster their way through the local police department, insulting their hardworking counterparts left and right and generally making a nuisance of themselves. (Lots of manly posturing and whining and "hey, we're cops too, let us play...even though we don't know any of your laws, procedures, customs, language, etc...whatever, we're still better cops than you!) They mock their Japanese hosts at every opportunity and get all upset when they don't receive respect in return. They even steal evidence from a crime scene and expect to be THANKED for it.Then Charlie, who was at least trying to be polite and friendly to the local PD, gets freaking decapitated and we're left with only Giant A-Hole Nick. Oh joy. Supposedly all of this murder and mayhem results in some kind of redemption for Nick, but by the time it happens I just couldn't care less about the man. I've seen a lot of East Meets West movies, a lot of cop movies, a lot of action movies...but very few of them had me rooting AGAINST the main character from the very first scene. The only thing that saved this movie from being a complete wash was the cinematography and the great atmosphere. Very cool. Unfortunately, not enough to distract from how much I just hated Nick and everything he said or did. Which was, alas, most of the movie.

When a member of the Japanese Yakuza is arrested in New York, detectives Nick Conklin and Charlie Vincent are assigned to escort him to Japan. Conklin is none too pleased that they are not prosecuting the prisoner themselves. They no sooner arrive in Japan when they are duped and turn their prisoner over to gangsters posing as police. They stay on in Japan hoping to work with their Japanese counterparts but have some difficulty dealing with local protocol and customs. Over time, Conklin develops a working relationship with Detective Masahiro and together they work together to ensure justice is served.....Black Rain is one of those films where it's a case of all style and no substance. Back in the late eighties,this must have sounded like a sure bet. Michael Douglas sitting on a bike in aviators was the one sheet, and why not? He was one of the biggest stars of the decade.So that's what we get, one of the biggest stars of the eighties riding a bike fast at the beginning of the film, brooding, running, brooding, running, arguing, brooding for the middle of the film. And the riding a bike really fast toward the end.Oh and a sub plot involving probably the most non threatening members of the Yakuza ever portrayed in cinema. Seriously, this guy comes straight out of a Schumacher Batman movie.But it looks good, Douglas has a fabulous haircut, and the shoot out at the end is pretty brutal.Plus, it's the greatest film ever to feature Michael Douglas looking slightly perturbed when his back is rubbed against a motorbike wheel.

I first saw Black Rain on its initial release, sitting on the front row of the enormous screen of the Odeon Leicester Square London. It was very exciting then and after seeing it once again for the first time in over 25 years, it is still immensely enjoyable.Like many other reviewers, I am mystified by how underrated it is. In its day it was a blockbuster with a big reputation. The basic storyline is gripping with many interesting plot twists. The contrasts between American and Japanese culture are deftly handled and worked into the plot well. Of course it's shot in a moody, stylistic way, but it is of course a moody cop film noir thriller. I think the cinematography is superb, with one aerial shot in particular, of an impressionist sunrise over the industrial hinterland of Tokyo, absolutely breathtaking.Cast-wise, it's a strong showing as Kate Capshaw smoulders (even if we see her all too briefly), Andy Garcia is boyishly charming, and Ken Takakura is great as the perplexed Japanese detective, but Michael Douglas is immense and steals the show. Rarely has barely-controlled rage been portrayed so effectively and his performance stands up against all the cop portrayals in cinema history (and I am aware that is a big statement).In short, watch it - you won't be disappointed!

What could be a more flattering gift to the world's second most prosperous nation than Nick Conklin? He rides a motorbike, awkwardly struggles to master using chopsticks, pronounces Sato as Sate-Oh, and instructs his veteran Japanese counterpart with lines like "sometimes you have to go for it!" Black Rain is one of the very few legitimate explanations foreigners have for being concerned about arrogance in America. Japanese are characterized as by-the-book squares who immediately allow impersonators to snatch someone on their most-wanted list right from under them. Luckily, two rough-mannered New York buddy detectives, one of whom later admits to being "crooked", help teach those Osaka keystone cops how it's done---American style!! I enjoyed the cinematography of Japan's bustling metropolitan scene and peaceful rural setting, but isn't that what the Travel Channel is for?