Showdown In Little Tokyo- A review by Addy
☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻ ;☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻
THE CAST
Dolph Lundgren ... Sgt. Chris Kenner
Brandon Lee ... Johnny Murata
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa ... Funekei ... Read review
Showdown in Little Tokyois a 1991 martial arts action comedy which, in pitting Dolph ... more
Lundgren and Brandon Lee as LA cops against Japanese drug dealers, plays like a B-movieTango and CashorLethal Weapon 2(both released just two years before). Between ca...
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Showdown in Little Tokyois a 1991 martial arts action comedy which, in pitting Dolph ... more
Lundgren and Brandon Lee as LA cops against Japanese drug dealers, plays like a B-movieTango and CashorLethal Weapon 2(both released just two years before). Between ca...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
A warrior and a wise guy. They're Los Angeles cops who mix punches with punch lines on a ... more
knockdown, gun down 'Showdown In Little Tokyo'. Dolph Lundgren is the muscle, an American samurai steeped in Eastern traditions. Brandon Lee is a 'Valley dude' qui...
A well-oiled Jean-Claude Van Damme makes his starring debut in what may be one of the few ... more
kickboxing films to be based on a true story. The Muscles from Brussels plays Frank Dux, the first Westerner ever to win the extreme "whupfest" known as the Kumatai (a long-running, no-holds-barred fighting tournament in Hong Kong). While a bit deficient in the script department (to say the least), this undeniably exciting flick succeeds by letting Van Damme play to his strengths: namely, minimal acting and a lot of impossibly acrobatic splits while kicking people in the head.Bloodsportis a guilty-pleasure testosterone blast of the highest order, with a memorable villain (the massive Bolo Yeung fromEnter the Dragon) and a multitude of well-choreographed fight scenes. An embarrassed-looking Forest Whitaker cameos as a hapless (and non-kickboxing) cop.--Andrew Wright
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Showdown in Little Tokyois a 1991 martial arts action comedy which, in pitting Dolph ... more
Lundgren and Brandon Lee as LA cops against Japanese drug dealers, plays like a B-movieTango and CashorLethal Weapon 2(both released just two years before). Between career highs inRocky IV(1985) andUniversal Soldier(1992) it looked as if Lundgren might make it big at the box-office, and clearly wanting to be the new Schwarzenegger he is here directed by Mark L Lester, who had earlier helmed Arnie'sCommando(1985). In the event both actor and director headed for straight-to-video territory. The 75-minute running time suggests the studio lost confidence and seriously cut the movie though, as the space between the action is filled with nothing but cringe-inducing dialogue, thriller clichés and Lundgren "romancing" Tia Carrere, it still makes sense. Basing its title on John Carpenter's 1986 fantasy-comedyBig Trouble in Little Chinaand anticipatingRush Hour(1998),Showdown in Little Tokyoalternates between crude tongue-in-cheek moments and action so ludicrous it's unintentionally hilarious . A camp disaster which simply defies belief, this is stupidly entertaining so-bad-its-good six-pack entertainment.On the DVD:There are no extras other than the trailer. The anamorphically enhanced 1.77:1 image offers a good transfer of a grainy print. The stereo sound is clear but for a modern action film seriously lacks impact: gunshots sound like a paper bag popping. --Gary S Dalkin
Postage & Packaging:£2.69 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Showdown in Little Tokyois a 1991 martial arts action comedy which, in pitting Dolph ... more
Lundgren and Brandon Lee as LA cops against Japanese drug dealers, plays like a B-movieTango and CashorLethal Weapon 2(both released just two years before). Between career highs inRocky IV(1985) andUniversal Soldier(1992) it looked as if Lundgren might make it big at the box-office, and clearly wanting to be the new Schwarzenegger he is here directed by Mark L Lester, who had earlier helmed Arnie'sCommando(1985). In the event both actor and director headed for straight-to-video territory. The 75-minute running time suggests the studio lost confidence and seriously cut the movie though, as the space between the action is filled with nothing but cringe-inducing dialogue, thriller clichés and Lundgren "romancing" Tia Carrere, it still makes sense. Basing its title on John Carpenter's 1986 fantasy-comedyBig Trouble in Little Chinaand anticipatingRush Hour(1998),Showdownin Little Tokyoalternates between crude tongue-in-cheek moments and action so ludicrous it's unintentionally hilarious . A camp disaster which simply defies belief, this is stupidly entertaining so-bad-its-good six-pack entertainment.On the DVD:There are no extras other than the trailer. The anamorphically enhanced 1.77:1 image offers a good transfer of a grainy print. The stereo sound is clear but for a modern action film seriously lacks impact: gunshots sound like a paper bag popping. --Gary S Dalkin
Postage & Packaging:£1.21 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Production Year: 1972 - Martial Arts - Director: Bruce Lee - Original Language: English\Cantonese\Chinese - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Bruce Lee, Nora Miao, Chuck Norris, Robert Wall, Jon T. Benn
Production Year: 1981 - Martial Arts - Director: Kenji Misumi, Robert Houston - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Kayo Matsuo, Minoru Ohki, Akiji Kobayashi, Shin Kishida, Masahiro Tomikawa, Tomisaburo Wakayama
Martial Arts - Director: Prachya Pinkaew - Original Language: English\Vietnamese\Thai\Mandarin - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Tony Jaa, Bongkoj Khongmalai, Petchtai Wongkamlao
Advantages: One of the few movies with Brandon Lee Disadvantages: Tia Carrera
Showdown In Little Tokyo- A review by Addy
☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻ ;☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻
==THE CAST==
Dolph Lundgren ... Sgt. Chris Kenner
Brandon Lee ... Johnny Murata
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa ... Funekei Yoshida
Tia Carrere ... Minako Okeya
Toshirô Obata ... Sato (also as Toshishiro Obata)
Philip ... .../>
Ernie Lively ... Detective Nelson
Renee Griffin ... Angel
Reid Asato ... Muto
Takayo Fischer ... Mama Yamaguchi
Simon Rhee ... Ito
Vernee Watson-Johnson ... Nonnie Russell - Coroner
Lenny Imamura ... Kickboxer #1
Roger Yuan ... Kickboxer #2
==Synopsis==
A tale of revenge kenner grew up in Japan and moved to L.A as an adult becoming a cop he utilises his knowledge ... more
Showdown In Little Tokyo- A review by Addy ☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻ ;☻☻☻☻☻☻☻☻
THE CAST
Dolph Lundgren ... Sgt. Chris Kenner Brandon Lee ... Johnny Murata Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa ... Funekei Yoshida Tia Carrere ... Minako Okeya Toshirô Obata ... Sato (also as Toshishiro Obata) Philip Tan ... Tanaka Rodney Kageyama ... Eddie Ernie Lively ... Detective Nelson Renee Griffin ... Angel Reid Asato ... Muto Takayo Fischer ... Mama Yamaguchi Simon Rhee ... Ito Vernee Watson-Johnson ... Nonnie Russell - Coroner Lenny Imamura ... Kickboxer #1 Roger Yuan ... Kickboxer #2
Synopsis
A tale of revenge kenner grew up in Japan and moved to L.A as an adult becoming a cop he utilises his knowledge of Japanese by working in Little Tokyo. Eventually whilst making routine arrests he recognises Yakuza tattoo's in realation to his parents being murdered. Kenner uses his position to get to the main man himself responsible for their murder the head of the Yakuza gang. The one thing keeping him in some control is Kenners new partner, Murata a Japanese man raised in the U.S. together they go on the rampage and Murata gets caught up in a rollercoaster ride of carnage and mayhem.
My Opinion
Whilst not being the greatest martial arts film ever made, this film is still pretty good and worth watching. The connection between Brandon Lee's character and Dolph Lundgren's is good and brings about quite a few jokes and comedic moments. The fight scenes are good with Brandon Lee really showing his prowess and skill.
The storyline is a common one that has been done many times before, where a rogue tough talking cop who likes to work alone is forced to take a partner {Brandon Lee}. Lee is straight laced, well dressed, and plays by all the rules. Together they have to take on a gang of Yakuza a Japanese crime syndicate and along the way Brendon and Lundgren become very competitive. Lee's style of fighting is much like his late fathers, fast, fluid with great style, whilst Lundgren is more of an hard hitting bruiser. The comic elements as well as the fast paced action make this a worthy movie, and there are plenty of gun battles as well as hand to hand combat. There is one scene in Dolph Ludgrens house where he resorts to more traditional weapons to kill the foes, and these are weapons such as knives, shuriken, crossbows etc, making for compelling, enjoyable viewing.
I often find westernised martial arts films are not as good as the ones made in Hong Kong etc, but this is a respectable attempt at the genre. In some places the acting is a little off, but both Lundgren and Lee produce convincing roles. Lee seems to have a magic infront of the camera much like is father and you can see he is most comfortable when showing his martial skills to the camera.
For the fact that this is one of the few films Brandon Lee starred in, before his life was sadly cut short, makes this film a must have. The one significant thing that spoils this film for me is Tia Carrera and her wooden, totally rubbish acting, and she is such a bimbo in the movie. The movie would have been better choosing a better actress. Everybody I have shown the film has agreed that this is a pretty good film.
Advantages: Brilliant films Disadvantages: Only three films
I think that these three films are three of the strongest martial arts films made, they all have different elements of quality to them.
Each film is in my opinion the best film of the actors involved. Enter the dragon is the oldest film and it does show, however it is in my own opinion the best of three, bloodsport has Van Damme at his best and for me was a truly enjoyable watch, more violent and realistic than Enter the Dragon but for me not quite as good. ShowdowninLittleTokyo is also a strong film with more realism than Enter The Dragon but the martial arts skill is not even close.
As a whole the three films are very watchable time and time again and make an essential part of a martial art fans collection. ...
Los Angeles has become a nightmare of murder and corruption and the police seem powerless to stop it. A martial arts expert and his partner join together to take on the big crimelord.
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
WARNER HOME VIDEO; CINRAM LOGISTICS
Release date
18/06/2001
No of Discs
1
Catalogue No
D 012311
Barcode
7321900123112
Languages
Main Language
English
Subtitle Language
Arabic, Bulgarian, English, Romanian
Technical information
Special Features
Interactive Menus, Scene Access, Trailer
Aspect Ratio
1.85 Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby 2.0 Surround
Dubbing Sound
Dolby 2.0 Surround English
DVD Description
A hard-hitting, frequently funny story of criminality and culture clashes as these two martial arts experts crack heads as they crack down on a Japanese crack gang.
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