Black Rain
Black Rain

Black Rain

1989Movie125 minEnglish

Two New York cops get involved in a gang war between members of the Yakuza, the Japanese Mafia. They arrest one of their killers and are ordered to escort him back to Japan. However, in Japan he manages to escape, and as they try to track him down, they get deeper and deeper into the Japanese Mafia scene and they have to learn that they can only win by playing the game—the Japanese way.

Read Reviews

Insights

IMDb6.0/10
Rotten Tomatoes53%
Metacritic55/100
Google Users67%
Director: Ridley ScottGenres: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller

Plot Summary

Two NYPD detectives are escorting a yakuza member accused of murder back to Japan. Upon arrival, their prisoner escapes and they find themselves drawn into a dangerous world of crime and corruption in Osaka. They must navigate the complex criminal underworld, relying on a local contact to help them bring the yakuza leader to justice.

Critical Reception

Black Rain received a mixed to positive reception from critics. While some praised Ridley Scott's visually striking direction and the film's atmospheric depiction of Japan, others found the plot convoluted and the characters underdeveloped. Michael Douglas's performance was generally well-received, but the film's reliance on action tropes and a somewhat predictable narrative were common criticisms. Audiences, however, found it to be an engaging crime thriller.

What Reviewers Say

  • Visually impressive with a strong sense of atmosphere.
  • Michael Douglas delivers a solid performance as the gruff detective.
  • The plot sometimes struggles under its own weight, feeling derivative.

Google audience: Viewers generally appreciated the film's stylish visuals and action sequences. Many found it to be a competent crime thriller with good performances, although some felt the story could have been more original and less reliant on clichés. The depiction of Japan was also a point of interest for many.

Fun Fact

The distinctive 'black rain' in the film's title refers to the radioactive ash that fell on Hiroshima after the atomic bombing, a visual motif the filmmakers incorporated to underscore the darkness and destructive nature of the criminal underworld depicted.

AI-generated overview · Verify ratings on official sources

My Review

TMDB Reviews

6 reviews
kevin2019

kevin2019

"Black Rain" is in the overly familiar territory Charles Bronson and Clint Eastwood used to inhabit during the 1970's and 1980's and as you would expect the old assortment of cliches are all here, especially those surrounding Michael Dougla...
morehumanthanhuman

morehumanthanhum...

First things first: My review is detailed and long, but it contains NO MAJOR SPOILERS, you can still enjoy the plot unfolding after reading it. I think Black Rain (BR) is almost criminally underrated within the buddy cop and dramatic...
Rob

Rob

Black Rain is one of those cop movies that's just downright cool. Unfortunately, it became dated quite quickly, but if you can look past that it's very much worth a watch. Ridley Scott knows how to make a good movie. And Michael Douglas cer...
JPV852

JPV852

Well made neo-noir thriller featuring great performances by Douglas, Garcia and Takakura with special mention to Yûsaku Matsuda who worked on this despite dying with bladder cancer (and he was only 40 years old). Not top shelf work compared...
CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

The fact that the words "produced in association with Michael Douglas" appear on the credits before the name of the director (Ridley Scott) tells us much of what we need to know about this crime thriller. It is a project for and about Micha...
John Chard

John Chard

If you pull it-you better use it. Black Rain is directed by Ridley Scott and written by Craig Bolotin and Warren Lewis. It stars Michael Douglas, Andy Garcia, Ken Takakura, Kate Capshaw, Yusaku Matsuda and Tomisaburo Wakayama. Music is b...