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Michael Douglas, Andy Garcia, Ken Takakura, Kate Capshaw, Yusaku Matsuda ... see more see more... , Shigeru Koyama , John Spencer , Guts Ishimatsu , Yuya Uchida , Tomisaburo Wakayama , Miyuki Ono , Louis Cantarini , Clem Caserta , John Costelloe , Vondie Curtis-Hall , Josip Elic , Tim Kelleher , Ken Kensei , George Kyle , Joe Perce , Richard Riehle , Stephen Root , Toshio Sato , Shiro Oishi , Prof. Toru Tanaka , Toshishiro Obata , Doug Yasuda , Rikiya Yasuoka , Keone Young , Luis Guzman , Linda Gillen , Jim Ishida

Under scrutiny by his superiors for allegedly dipping into confiscated drug money, New York vice cop Michael Douglas can expect no sympathy from his ex-wife, who is gouging him for alimony. Douglas ge... read more read more...ts a chance to redeem himself when he is assigned to escort Japanese mob boss Yusaku Matsuda back to his own country to stand trial. Upon arriving in Osaka, Douglas and his partner Andy Garcia are tricked into releasing their prisoner. Now on the outs with both the American and Japanese police authorities, Douglas is forced to deal with the Yakuza-the Japanese equivalent of the Mafia-to retrieve the elusive Matsuda. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Flixster Users

29% want to see it

26,628 ratings

Critics

52% liked it

21 critics

R, 2 hr. 5 min.

Directed by: Ridley Scott

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DVD Release Date: February 16, 1999

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Flixster Reviews (795)

  • YLOWBSTARDreturns
    February 26, 2011
    YLOWBSTARDreturns
    One of the most underrated films ever made, and one of my personal favorites.
  • kenstachnik
    June 15, 2010
    kenstachnik
    A perfect 2 1/2 star movie. The absolute middle of the road. Not bad, not great. Well shot, but nothing extraordinary. Not ridden with cliches but nothing too original either.
  • ythelastman89
    May 25, 2010
    ythelastman89
    A great 80s cop movie that managed to stay serious, despite it having a Japanese biker gang and a racism theme. Michael Douglas personifies in many ways the epitome of a loose canon cop during the time. He rides around in a motorcycle with aviators and a leather jacket with tough... read more talk to accompany his look. Ridley Scott shows such a dark and different side of the crime world compared to most cop dramas of the time. In a lot of ways it is the French Connection of its time, with a lot of the same story lines and characters. While it's not as good, it still manages to create this extremely believable and imperfect world of Cops & Robbers.
  • FilmFanatik
    December 20, 2009
    FilmFanatik
    I never want to meet Michael Douglas in a dark alley.
  • ScoopOnline
    December 16, 2009
    ScoopOnline
    Osaka, Japan. A cop on the edge. A conspiracy on the rise. A killer on the loose.
  • SirPant
    September 15, 2009
    SirPant
    A modern classic. It's still sad when Andy Garcia get chopped in half by an angry motor-ninja, and it's still original in that the bad guy isn't killed at the end! Great East meets West cop film and beautifully directed!
  • matertenebraum
    September 8, 2009
    matertenebraum
    Ridley Scott tends to give his films a very potent visual energy (see "Alien" and "Blade Runner" for further evidence), and here he takes a story that's been around since films began and dresses it up with his customary pictorial trimmings. Black Rain is another fish-out-of-water... read more yarn in which a cop leaves his usual patch to track down a criminal in an unfamiliar place (see also Brannigan, French Connection II, No Mercy, Beverly Hills Cop, etc. for other versions of what is virtually the same story). The unoriginality of it all is a bit disappointing in all honesty, but Black Rain compensates for its over-familiarity by excelling in other areas.

    Reckless New York cop Nick Conklin (Michael Douglas - looking more like his father Kirk than ever) and his partner Charlie Vincent (Andy Garcia) catch a Japanese gangster named Sato (Yasuka Matsuda) in their city. They are assigned to escort Sato back to Japan and hand him over to the Japanese police. However, almost immediately upon their arrival Sato escapes with the aid of some of his underworld friends, cunningly disguised as cops. Nick and Charlie are left with egg on their face, and endeavour to help the Japanese police to recapture their man. They join Japanese cop Masahiro (Ken Takakura), but police methods in Japan prove very different to what the Americans are accustomed to, and soon differences in approach boil over into frustration and violence.

    Scott paints the night-time streets of Osaka as some kind of neon-lit, nightmarish maze. It becomes easy to relate to Nick and Charlie's bewilderment, and the viewer is left glad NOT to be sharing their experiences in the seedy, dangerous environment of this seemingly hostile city. There are some attempts to explore the different codes of honour by which the American and Japanese law enforcers measure their success. Also, the film establishes and sustains an edgy atmosphere (one scene, in which a key character is lured into a trap and beheaded, is especially tense).

    Black Rain is a mix of effective and not-so-effective elements. The visuals, the atmosphere and the cultural alienation of the main character are very interesting, while the plotting and dialogue are disappointingly familiar. It's definitely a film worth catching, though it probably won't be remembered as fondly fifty years from now as some of the director's other films.
  • Chiefilms
    February 29, 2008
    Chiefilms
    Japan, Motorcycles, Decapitation
  • garyX
    January 26, 2008
    garyX
    Bit of a no-brainer that's essentially Coogan's Bluff relocated to Japan. The usual nice visuals from Scott, but Douglas is as dislikeable as usual. Andy Garcia's quite good though.
  • Deano78
    April 29, 2007
    Deano78
    A cool action film about the Japanese criminal underworld.

View All Black Rain Reviews

Critic Reviews

Emanuel Levy
April 7, 2012
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Considering the caliber of talent, in front and behind the camera, Ridley Scott's violent cop thriller should have been more engaging and compelling Full Review

David Nusair
July 14, 2007
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews

...a relic of the 1980s. Full Review

Chuck O'Leary
November 7, 2006
Chuck O'Leary, FulvueDrive-in.com

Still plays like a more commerical variation of the superior Year of the Dragon, but Black Rain has aged nicely, and is a strong film in its own right. Full Review

Christopher Null
October 11, 2006
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com

absurdly priceless Full Review

Alex Sandell
May 30, 2003
Alex Sandell, Juicy Cerebellum

A big stupid pile of junk. Am I being too forward?

Jeffrey M. Anderson
January 17, 2003
Jeffrey M. Anderson, San Francisco Examiner

Beautiful but not memorable.

James Sanford
January 12, 2003
James Sanford, Kalamazoo Gazette

Should have been much better, given its credentials

Rob Vaux
December 30, 2002
Rob Vaux, Flipside Movie Emporium

Ridley Scott's been better, but Black Rain is rarely less than engaging.

Rob Thomas
September 25, 2002
Rob Thomas, Capital Times (Madison, WI)

Style wins out over substance again.

Urban Cinefile Critics
July 26, 2002
Urban Cinefile Critics, Urban Cinefile

Dark and haunting

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Black Rain Trivia

  • What word can go in all the blanks to make 4 movie titles? 1. _______ Man 2. Purple _______ 3. Black _______ 4. _______  Answer »
  • Name the missing word... She's The ___ ___ of the House Spider___ Bat___ Rain ___ ___ In Black   Answer »
  • In the movie 'Black Rain', how did Andy Garcia's character die?  Answer »
  • Who sang im just a little black rain cloud in the many adventures of winnie the pooh  Answer »
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