Director Ridley Scott is one of the best stylists in the business, creating such brilliant technical triumphs as The Duellists, Alien, and Blade Runner. In Black Rain, the director brings his cameras to Osaka, Japan and once again creates a series of stunning visuals. Unfortunately, the central story is about as inviting as cold sake. Michael Douglas stars as New York detective Nick Conklin, who's escorting a Yakuza thug back to his native land. Once on Japanese shores, however, Conklin loses his man, and must wend his way through the alien customs and geography of this mysterious land to find his quarry. Teaming up with a rigid Osaka inspector, the pair trade every cliché in the buddy picture book as they engage in spectacularly lensed fights with the enemy-on a farm, in a subway, at a steel mill. As an engaging travelogue of city and country life in modern Japan, Black Rain has its cinematic knockout moments, but it simply can't sustain the featherweight quality of its tired plot. Not recommended. (R. Pitman) [DVD Review—Oct. 17, 2006—Paramount, 125 min., R, $14.99—Making its second appearance on DVD, 1989's Black Rain (Special Collector's Edition) sports a fine transfer with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. DVD extras include audio commentary by director Ridley Scott, a two-part 38-minute 'making-of' featurette, a 20-minute featurette on 'The Script, The Cast,' a 13-minute featurette on 'Post Production,' and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a disappointing film.]
Black Rain
color. 125 min. Paramount Home Video. (1989). $92.95. Rated: R Library Journal
Black Rain
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