Black Rain
Plot
Black Rain (1989) Dalam thriller kriminal yang kelam dan mendebarkan ini, Nick Conklin (Michael Douglas) dan R.J. "Hack" Hackworth (Andy Garcia), dua detektif Kota New York, menemukan diri mereka terlibat dalam permainan kucing dan tikus yang mematikan antar faksi Yakuza yang saling bersaing. Kisah ini berbalik dramatis ketika mereka menangkap salah satu pembunuh bayaran Yakuza yang paling ditakuti, Goro (Yuri Beryozkin), dan ditugaskan untuk mengawalnya kembali ke Jepang. Setibanya di Tokyo, Conklin dan Hackworth dihadapkan pada gegar budaya yang berasal dari hambatan bahasa serta nilai-nilai dan moral yang sangat berbeda dalam masyarakat Jepang. Saat mereka menavigasi dunia kejahatan terorganisir yang berbahaya, mereka mulai menyadari bahwa kehadiran Goro telah membangkitkan sarang lebah klan Yakuza yang rival, masing-masing mencari balas dendam atas permusuhan di masa lalu. Ketika ketegangan meningkat dan kekerasan meletus di jalanan Tokyo, Conklin dan Hackworth harus menggunakan kecerdasan dan kelihaian jalanan mereka untuk tetap selangkah di depan dalam permainan mematikan Yakuza. Mereka segera menemukan bahwa Goro lebih dari sekadar pembunuh kejam – dia adalah pemain kunci dalam perebutan kekuasaan yang lebih besar yang mengancam akan menghancurkan keseimbangan rapuh antar faksi yang bersaing. Pertaruhan semakin tinggi ketika Conklin, yang semakin terpesona dengan budaya Jepang, mulai mempertanyakan kompas moralnya sendiri. Saat ia terlibat dalam dunia bawah Yakuza, ia merasa terpecah antara tugasnya sebagai penegak hukum dan perasaan empatinya yang semakin besar terhadap dunia kehormatan dan kesetiaan Jepang yang kompleks, seringkali kontradiktif. Black Rain adalah thriller yang menegangkan dan penuh aksi yang menyelami aspek-aspek gelap sifat manusia. Dengan perpaduan unik antara keberanian Amerika dan kepekaan ala Jepang, film ini merupakan eksplorasi yang mencekam tentang konsekuensi kekerasan, kesetiaan, dan penebusan di dunia di mana garis antara benar dan salah terus-menerus kabur.
Ulasan
Morgan
Damn, the directing, the atmosphere, the cinematography, the style – so much cool cyberpunk vibe! Ridley Scott really turned a gangster/crime flick into something with sci-fi and doomsday vibes, almost like *Blade Runner*. Matsuda Yusaku, already seriously ill, gave the performance of his life during his final days. It's said that in the movie, the scene where he cuts off his little finger was actually real.
Zion
Matsuda Yusaku's swan song. Despite being terminally ill at the time, he was still incredibly cool and charismatic. You wouldn't know he was suffering from a fatal disease. Takakura Ken's spoken English is decent, but his performance is a bit flat and expressionless throughout the film; I wonder if he was having trouble adjusting. The movie itself is just okay. While many people tout the pairing of Douglas and Takakura Ken as a big draw, Matsuda Yusaku definitely delivers the most compelling performance in the film.
Axel
Re-watched on 20231028: In a way, Ridley Scott was quite astute in gauging the times. If this film is seen as a work reflecting the easing of US-Japan relations amidst the backdrop of the Eastern European upheaval, and the upcoming "Napoleon" teaches the world the survival之道 (way of survival) that individuals should follow in the face of a complex and chaotic world, then it also corroborates my hypothesis about the creative background of "Alien" – a reflection of the US mired in the Vietnam War in the 70s. Returning to US-Japan reconciliation, perhaps it's thanks to the sincerity of the BGM, or the understanding and respect that the actors, both on and off-screen, have for each other's cultural clashes and values, that the film always moves me, especially in the final third. The shadow of the WWII bombings and the post-war...
Grant
One of the Ridley Scott films I watched to prepare for the Beijing Film Academy entrance exam, but unfortunately, "Black Rain" was just okay for me.
Luca
Pacing isn't much of an issue; that's just Ridley Scott's style. But the plot could use some revisiting. Why stretch this kind of material into two hours?
Kenneth
Black Rain, a gritty crime thriller set against the backdrop of New York and Tokyo, explores the collision of cops, gangsters, and the deadly allure of power. With its explosive action and dark, moral ambiguity, the film feels like a turbulent storm inside the human soul, where loyalty and corruption twist together in a deadly dance. Highly recommended for fans of gritty crime dramas.
Summer
"Black Rain" combines crime, culture, and chaos in a gripping tale of cops vs. criminals on NYC streets and Japanese mafia territory.
