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| Images Courtesy of Warner Brothers |
If there was a film that perfectly encapsulates everything glorious and terribly wrong with the late 80's and early 90's of American cinema, it is Mark Lester's absolute masterwork of the absurd Showdown in Little Tokyo. Politically incorrect, macho, and unapologetically violent, this time capsule of excess received a resurgence after the untimely death of Brandon Lee. Featuring a delightful duo of lead performances, awkward sex scenes, and some of the cheesiest dialogue in cinematic history, this is an excellent entry in the fraternity of cult classics.
An American Yakuza leader is taking over Los Angeles' Little Tokyo with meth. Two detectives, one who worships the Japanese culture he was raised in as an outsider, and one who lacks any knowledge of his own heritage team up to take down the Yakuza and save the City of Angels. Stephen Glantz and Caliope Brattlestreet'ss script is an amalgam of cliche's that gestates within a lurid veneer, a neo-western skin flick that would make Andy Sidaris' smile with admiration. Dolph Lundgren stars as Sgt. Kenner, an American with unique insight into Japanese culture who shares a dangerous connection with the Yakuza. Brandon Lee supports as Detective Murata. While The Crow showcased his range, Showdown relegates him to comic relief as the audience's surrogate, and his performance is breezy and fun. Despite Murata's asian mother he is a stranger within Little Tokyo, but his chemistry with Lundgren is passable.
Tia Carrere plays a lounge singer who is violently brought into the Yakuza's orbit by its malicious leader, Yoshida, played by character actor Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Mortal Kombat). Tagawa chews the scenery as expected, but his scenes with Carrere and Renee Griffin's doomed prostitute Angel are surprisingly dark given the time period, and contribute to the film's staying power, dipping into erotic thriller territory.
Cronenberg collaborator Mark Irwin's cinematography drips with machismo as vibrant reds and blacks flood the optics. This is a city of lights and everything is captured with a sense of faux-opulence. David Michael Frank's score, including a catchy theme for the villains eschews popular synth rhythms for an almost soap operatic vibe, yet another glimmer of the early 90's direct to video erotic trend, which is echoed in the ambiance and production design. This is a film that knows exactly what it is and makes no apologies for itself.
Now available for digital rental, Showdown in Little Tokyo is lean, furious fun. While the stereotypes threaten to upend everything, a dedicated cast combined with fun action sequences have managed to make this film an action cult classic. Existing, sadly, in the shadow of Brandon Lee's tragic death, it highlights his comedic talent and unstoppable charm. Emblematic of the good and bad of late 20th century American action films, this is a relic that will continue make viewers smile and roll their eyes simultaneously for many years to come.
--Kyle Jonathan