Black Rain (DVD 2000)

A good film bears a re-watch. When the plot, direction, performances, script and score just gel together, it's worth a second look to catch every nuance you may have missed, and this is rich stuff. Ridley Scott's awesome direction, a page-turning pace, and exacting casting stop this 80's thriller from looking dated near twenty years on. Pay attention to EVERY frame, and lose yourself in the situation of Micheal Douglas' lead. A NYC cop, of questionable integrity - are his fingers sticky? - extradites a malevolent Yakuza back to Japan. What could go wrong? Pretty much everything. He is soon drowning in an unfathomably alien culture, desperate to make amends, it's going to take all the cop-nous he has just to stay alive, and out of jail, let alone with any credibility to his character. There's a big storm coming, to which the local authorities seem contentedly ignorant. It takes the American to uncover it, which is to their embarrasment. So will they get on board, or leave him hanging?
I mustn't give too much away, as this is definitive eyebrow-arching material. Give it full attention the first time, and feel those hackles rise on your back. A great ride, washed down with Hans Zimmer's beautifully symphonic score, complete with great contributions from Duane Allman and Iggy Pop.
You won't regret - or forget - this one.

HELLO THERE I FOUND THIS DVD ONE OF MICHAIL DOUGLESS BETTER FILMS,BUT ITS NOT ONE THAT I WOULD WANT TO WATCH AGAIN UN LIKE SOME OF MY OTHERS AND I HAVE QUITE A FEW