Rising Sun, Rising Sun, this title sounds a bit familiar. Wait a minute, I think it’s coming back to me. Rising Sun is that Japan-themed nineties thriller starring Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes as two detectives trying to solve a kinky murder. Well, there you go, that’s the movie. This is how I remember it after all that time. And last night I decided it’s time to revisit this murder mystery with a Japanese twist. I can tell you right away that Rising Sun is still a movie worth watching. It offers an intriguing blend of corporate schemes, culture clashes, and mystery grounded by that murder case. And on top of that, the cast is terrific.
A stunningly beautiful girl is found dead on the 46th floor of the Nakamoto Corporation building. Young LAPD officer Web Smith gets the case and to help him solve it, the higher-ups hook him up with controversial John Connor. Now, the two of them will have to cut through the strict web of corporate, political, and criminal lies if they want to catch their killer. Rising Sun is actually based on Michael Crichton’s 1992 novel of the same name. The main theme is the Japanese culture. Americans found themselves in a precarious position during the early nineties as Japanese corporations were dominating both the technology and auto industry.
Add to this customs that seem strange to us, murder, and a big corporate/government deal and you got yourself one hell of a plot. However, Rising Sun is just too loose and messy to take advantage of such a potent premise. It’s far too busy setting up zingers and explaining how Japanese culture is different from ours. Also, despite the fairly straightforward storytelling I couldn’t figure out what was going on here. Who’s this guy now and is he working for Nakamoto? Ah yes, he’s a member of Yakuza, because you have to have some Yakuza in a movie like this. Sakamura, Yoshida, and Ishihara are always plotting something and I’m not really sure if John Connor is on it.
However, I also want to say that despite this confusion about who’s who, the movie was never boring. How can it be boring when it stars not just Snipes and Connery but also Harvey Keitel, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, and Mako? Even the supporting cast is strong as we have not just Ray Wise and Tia Carrere but also Steve Buscemi. Rising Sun is a movie that effectively captures your attention by juggling so many fascinating elements. On the other hand, that’s all it’s doing. It even ends with a quite ambiguous and underwhelming finale. You can look at it as a refreshing buddy cop movie with a Japanese twist or a classic who-done-it.
You will be entertained either way. This is something that the movie tries to do above all else. To bring that point home, we have nudity and kinky sex. Add a bit of cocaine and that’s what I call a party. Additionally, there will be plenty of action here allowing Snipes to show off some of his moves. Even Sean Connery is going to get in on the action, punching people in the throat and Seagaling them around.
Director Philip Kaufman is the one who insists on a black guy playing the lead role, which is a change from the original novel. Something that Crichton didn’t like so he left the shoot. I think that this was the right move, to hire Wesley. Kaufman also added one extremely clumsy and naive hood segment that I thought was hilarious for all the wrong reasons. There are also all these larger-than-life and pompous moments that just make you chuckle.
For example, John explains to Web that you have to bow when the Japanese bow. And you have to do it exactly as they do it or else… A few moments later he just casually nods to two Japanese women bowing to him. I have to say that I much prefer Michael Crichton’s more esoteric adaptations. Sphere, The 13th Warrior, and Congo are among my favorite nineties movies.
So, I was fairly surprised when I saw that after his huge success with Jurassic Park, this was Michael’s next project. Just a year later we will get another solid thriller based on his works, Disclosure, starring Demi Moore and Michael Douglas. Finally, if you’re looking for similar movies, do check out Murder at 1600, a movie where Snipes is investigating another murder, this time in a White House. Or The Art of War, another one of his political thrillers.
Director: Philip Kaufman
Writers: Michael Crichton, Philip Kaufman, Michael Backes
Cast: Sean Connery, Wesley Snipes, Harvey Keitel, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Ray Wise, Tia Carrere
Fun Facts: The word kohai doesn’t mean student in a literall sense. It’s used more to put someone in its place, no matter what he’s doing, by effectively warning them that they’re doing something wrong. So, it can be taken as an insult, especially in the strict Japanese corporate culture.
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IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107969/
