BLACK RAIN
A film review by Sandy Grossman
Copyright 1990 Sandy Grossman
Film : Black Rain Director: Ridley Scott Starring: Michael Douglas, Andy Garcia, Ken Takakura, and Kate Capshaw
Summary : Long on style and action, pathetically short on substance.
Violence is graphic. No sex.
You may be familiar with another Scott film: BLADERUNNER. BLADERUNNER was taught and suspenseful. The sets were perfect. The mood was indelible. The characters were distinctive and the acting was superior. Years after seeing the movie (even only seeing it once), images of the film come to mind easily. In short, it was an evocatively stylish film.
Although BLACK RAIN shares some of those attributes, it's very far below the standard set by BLADERUNNER. Still, the film is interesting, as much for its failures as its successes. The cinematography is superb. The film shows Japan as a *very* foreign country. The three lead characters are well above average in their portrayals of flesh-and-blood people. And the directing/editing is excellent. With all those things going for it, you may well wonder why reviewers (including this one) have generally found this film substandard.
One reviewer even criticized Michael Douglas merely for taking on the role he plays in this movie. That critic felt Douglas was capitalizing (literally :-) ) on the current wave of dislike/fear/scorn of all things Japanese. Other reviewers have also taken pot shots at the story line. The movie deserves this treatment from reviewers.
You see, there were so many possibilities here. We could've seen an exploration of morals that transcend cultural bounds. Looked at the definition of good and bad. Explored the way that different societies deal with violence and scum.
What we get instead is an action movie with a xenophobic view of Japan. A cheap shot. A waste of talent. We are tantalized with glimpses of what the movie could've been. The one theme that is actually explored is the universality of honor. But we only get little shimmering glances of intelligence in a film that could've delivered magnitudes more punch.
So what's it about, you ask. Well, it's about America vs. Japan. It's about the utter lack of comprehension and the contempt that Americans have about the Japanese. It's about scum, violence, and honor.
Two American policemen journey to Japan with an extradited Japanese scumball. The scumball is being returned to Japan courtesy of the U.S. But the Japanese police don't get their guy because of, uhm, a handoff problem. The rest of the film pits the Americans against the Japanese as they attempt to recapture the scum. And herein lies the central problem of the movie.
Do we get to see how the Japanese handle the scum of their society? Do we see how the well-established, well-understood hierarchy within the Japanese police works when apprehending criminals? Do we learn *anything* from the Japanese? Hell no. They're portrayed as, well, inept. Formal and inept. Ritualized and incapable.
It's up to the Great White Hope. And, in case anyone in the audience has trouble picking up on facial expressions and body language, the screenwriters make sure that we hear Douglas and Garcia (the two Americans) voicing unrestrained contempt for the Japanese. Racism. Not just lack of understanding.
The language and the attitude communicated contempt, but I'm sure that was just supposed to explain to us how very far the Americans would have to travel to cross over the cultural bridge. The screenwriters would sincerely protest their script being called racist--they probably thought it was exactly the opposite.
Where the scriptwriters went wrong was in the foundation of the story: that there would need to be a Great White Hope to save the day in Japan. That an American maverick, with complete disregard and contempt for a foreign culture, would come to respect exactly *one* Japanese man. And that this would be symbolic and would somehow let the film off the racist hook. Nope. As beautifully communicated as some of the moments are between Douglas and Takakura (the one Japanese man shown in a favorable light), those moments do not redeem the movie.
So it's flawed. Very fatally flawed. But it's captivating, and there are about ten minutes of truly fine ensemble acting. If you're offended by the kind of racism that reviewers criticized in MISSISSIPPI BURNING, don't see BLACK RAIN. It's got the same type of problem. If you are a Douglas fan, you'll probably (but not necessarily) like this film. If you like Ridley Scott movies, you'll probably be a bit disappointed.
Having read the reviews of BLACK RAIN, my own decision was to wait for it to come out on video. I'm sure it was more visually satisfying on the big screen, but I'll sacrifice that in exchange for a $1.88 rental in many cases. This is one of them. (And it's probably even worth $3.00. :-))
Sandy Grossmann sandyg@tekirl.labs.tek.com
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