BLACK RAIN (1989)

Michael Douglas, Mullets, and Motorcycles....what else do you need? 🤔

Well you also have the legendary Japanese movie star Ken Takakura, vibrant young Andy Garcia, gorgeous visuals from cinematographer Jan de Bont, sadly the last performance from Yusaka Matsuda, plus THE first great action score from Hans Zimmer.  Oh and it's directed by Sir Ridley Scott (Alien, Gladiator, Thelma & Louise) though you could forgiven for thinking it might have been directed by his late brother Tony at the time...

Because what we have here is a very slick '80's cop thriller loaded with all of the tropes you would expect from this time period: a renegade New York cop (Douglas) and his partner (Garcia) get immersed in a murder investigation which starts in Manhattan and takes them all the way to Osaka where they start bumping up against not only the local law enforcement (Takakura plays the police officer they team up with) but also a Yakuza on the rise lead by a brutal gangster (Matsuda).  It's all quite silly, violent, and EXTREMELY entertaining!

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Transcript

BLACK RAIN – 1989

Directed by Ridley Scott

Starring Michael Douglas, Andy Garcia, Ken Takakura, Yusaku Matsuda, Shigeru Koyama, John Spencer, Yuya Uchida, Guts Ishimatsu, Tomisaburo Wakayama, Miyuki Ono, Luis Guzman, Stephen Root, and Kate Capshaw

Genre: Crime Thriller

Michael Douglas, mullets, and motorcycles....what else do you need? 🤔

Well you also have the legendary Ken Takakura, PEAK Andy Garcia, gorgeous visuals from DP Jan de Bont, sadly the last performance from Yusaka Matsuda (who still kills it as the main villain Sato despite not having enough dialogue), and THE first great action score from Hans Zimmer! 

Now to be fair, nobody is reinventing the wheel here. The dialogue is beyond cheesy ("Sometimes....you have to GO for it." is set up as the applause line for some reason) and there are loads of '80's cop movie cliches. I mean you've GOTTA have a key meeting at a foundry with molten lead in there right? And forgetting the fact that this meeting was MAINLY set up to examine fake currency up close, it makes perfect sense to keep the lights off in that meeting room....I mean what's more ideal to do so than bathing your villains in dark shadow and red light right? 😜

And the overall plot is pretty simplistic - the mere existence of sequins is a key plot point apparently, even ignoring the obvious that Douglas' Nick Conklin (great '80's cop name though) is a pretty lousy cop on most fronts. Doesn't matter though because this movie does what it sets out to do....and seriously with just a bit of a rewrite, this could have been a wacky Beverly Hills Cop sequel. (Still would have been better than 'Cop III)

It still all adds up to a wildly entertaining Ridley Scott homage to his baby brother....complete with a climax which has a strong visual resemblance to the one for Tony's Cop II from just a couple of years prior. 

Best Needledrop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film): 

I just alluded to this earlier but yes as far as I’m concerned, THIS score was the great coming out party for the Man, the Myth, the Legend….Frankfurt, Germany’s OWN Hans “The Zimm” Zimmer!  You see Zimmer started out in the mid ‘80’s doing some smaller European films with his first major production being the acclaimed drama from Stephen Frear’s My Beautiful Laundrette which ALSO happened to be the first major breakout for a talented young Irish actor named….Daniel Day-Lewis.  Zimmer’s BIG break would come a few years later composing the scores for TWO consecutive Best Picture winners….Rainman and Driving Miss Daisy, both solid, relatively low-key scores which likely elevated each of those films with a more modern sensibility.  I was always partial to the main theme for Rainman which is when I first heard his synth-based sound…. (Audio clip)  

However sandwiched in between those two films was THIS one which was notable for not only being the first big budget vehicle scored by Zimmer but would also mark the beginning of a long-running, fruitful – still to this day – professional relationship with the Scott Brothers, both Ridley and Tony.  Infact the he would compose a VERY catchy score for brother Tony the following year….previous episode Days of Thunder.  And LIKE Days of Thunder, what he crafted for this film was a high-energy action score LOADED with synth.  Of course this being the ‘80’s, you also need to have at least ONE pop-rock vocalization for the soundtrack.  This one’s fun though, it’s a rockin’ power ballad and it bookends the movie during both the opening and closing credits….that would be Greg Allman’s catchy “I’ll Be Holding On.” (Audio clip)  

But back to the score, it’s just an embarrassment of riches and in fact there’s are very catchy Black Rain Suites on YouTube, great for working out….I’ll include a link to one in the show notes.   But definitely this is TOP FIVE ZIMMER for me no doubt…and of course he didn’t do it alone, one MAJOR collaborator was Japanese music legend, a composer and producer….that would be the late, great Ryuichi Sakamoto.  Sakamoto was a TRUE pioneer in the realm of electronic music back in the ‘70’s and ‘80’s, producing memorable collaborations with the likes Thomas Dolby, Youssou N’Dour, Melle Mell, and David Bowie.  Most of the music he produced was electronic while still emulating various cultures including Japanese and sounds approximating instruments from that part of the world….which he brought to this soundtrack. (Audio clip) 

IF I had to choose one undeniable music highlight, it would have to be the fast-paced up pulsating action theme accompanying Nick and Masahiro around the 70 minute mark as their surveillance of one key suspect starts to ramp up and they follow her around Osaka….ALL the way to that aforementioned foundry to check in on a key meeting involving Sato.  Loaded with flutes AND electric guitar, this music simply kills without a doubt, the track is referred to as “Chase to the Steel Plant.” (Audio clip) 

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film): 

Just a few disparate elements though nothing particularly egregious…..yes Kate Capshaw is in this as Joyce, the hostess at a local club, a VERY convenient English-speaking side character to provide necessary exposition about the local gangwars whenever Douglas’ Nick needs it….and she LOOKS good….not much else.  As written, she’s definitely more of a plot device than a real character. (Audio clip)

And Andy Garcia who ALSO looks really good playing Charlie, Nick’s impeccably dressed NY partner who’s younger, more hotheaded….and sadly more expendable to the plot.  Look I get it….what happens to his character is very effective towards both raising the stakes and pretty much setting up the second half of the story into motion.  It’s also quite the well-done harrowing scene.  However…..this was just SUCH a fun era for the actor, Garcia provided a nice burst of energy in everything he appeared – including previous episodes The Untouchables and Stand and Deliver – so does the movie lose a BIT of spark once he’s no longer part of it?  Unfortunately yes as he is ALSO a more convincing cop on-screen than Douglas… (Audio clip) 

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie):

In a film loaded with full-on cheesy ‘80’s ra-ra moments, I can only choose the one which really doesn’t make sense in comparison the REST of this film’s plot but still just lands SO well thanks the Sir Rid’s visual style and of course a POUDING rousing score from the ‘Zimm.  Keep in mind that up until the point, the Osaka PD chief has been at continuous loggerheads with Douglas’ Nick and that it’s also clear by this point that the way these Osaka police work is EXTREMELY bureaucratic…paperwork, checkpoints, etc.  And yet following a violent but ultimately thrilling climax, both Nick and Masahiro have their man….SATO, even though in the previous scene, it’s very clear that he’s not going down quietly.  But regardless the camera pans down a long Osaka police office…and then BOOM….the door busts open and there’s Nick and Masahiro holding up a beaten up Sato in handcuffs….and dramatically they walk past every desk….mouths agape from every one around them….towards….guess who….oh right….the ONLY individual in this long office with his back turned, it’s the CAPTAIN and yes he’s impressed! (Audio clip)  

And if that wasn’t enough….uh-huh NOPE….in the ‘80’s and ‘90’s this was SUCH a cop thriller trope and for such a disparate variety of movies including Tango & Cash, Speed, Silence of the Lambs, and at least ONE Beverly Hills Cop sequel (maybe the same sequel)….the Awards Ceremony!  Metals are awarded, cheers erupt, and of course every supporting character from the story up until this point HAS to show up to congratulate our hero….again thanks to how gorgeous everything looks and sounds, it's just GOLD! (Audio clip) 

MVP (person or people most responsible for the success of this film):

I’m fairly confident that his more ardent fans would NOT consider this to be top-tier Ridley….and he would likely agree.  Is this on the level of an Alien or Blade Runner or Thelma & Louise?  Of course not….this might even be considered his most conventional film by most standards.  But as far as I’m concerned, this film has more style than most other standard cop thrillers from this era.  Yes DP Jan De Bont who worked on this film – along with previous episodes Die Hard and Basic Instinct during this same era - wasn’t exactly a slouch, but NONE of those films looked like this.  The smoke-stacks taking over the sky, the depth of those long corridors within an underground train station, the TRULY otherworldly jagged look of that farm at dawn featured in the climax….that’s SIGNATURE Sir Ridley.  Ridley Scott is the MVP. 

Overall Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Happy 35th Anniversary to a film which I believe still holds up as THE last great action film of the 1980's. Yeah….SUCK IT…Tango & Cash! (That was released a couple of months later….)

Streaming on hoopla, Pluto TV, and Apple TV Plus

And that ends another I’LL BE HOLDING ON review!