A gritty action cop thriller with a clash of cultures theme. Directed by Ridley Scott it has all his usual visual flair and attention to detail and is particularly impressive in the cityscape night scenes with the use of reflecting neon (indeed very reminiscent of Blade Runner). This is not however considered one of Scott's better films which is a bit unfair because, whilst it is more in the style of his brother Tony's films, this is a first rate, highly entertaining film with some fantastic set piece action scenes. Michael Douglas, at the height of his box office fame, is New York detective Nick Conklin. He's an uncompromising cop who is under investigation for corruption. He and his partner Charlie (Andy Garcia) witness a Japanese gang hit and manage to arrest the killer, Sato (Yûsaku Matsuda) and are assigned to take him back to Japan where he is wanted by the police. But on their arrival Sato escapes and Nick is suspected of colluding with him and to prove his innocence sets about finding him. Nick soon finds he's up against the very rigid Japanese police' methods. Plenty of gutsy violence and a great story this keeps you hooked throughout and it's one of Douglas' best action films. It pushes the boundaries of credibility at times but this can be forgiven for the impressive structure and look of the film from a gunfight in a metal refinery to a motorcycle chase through a vineyard. A good solid thriller, well worth seeking out if you've never seen it.
FILM & REVIEW Ridley Scott’s 80’s Cop Thriller which TBH is not one of his better efforts. Douglas is Nick a maverick New York cop (is there ever any other kind) who gets caught up in a Yakuza feud and makes the bust. The Japanese want the bad guy Sato back so Nick and his partner (García) fly him to Tokyo and hand him over the local police. Except they are fake cops working for Sato and Nick who is already under suspicion of corruption in the US is accused of being bought. He decides to stay on and working officially as an observer pursues Sato.Things get personal when Sato has García killed forcing Nick into a one man revenge squad. It looks very good (shot by Jan De Bont) but the script uses every cliche in the book. The arrogant American who rides rough shot over local customs who gets partnered with local cop Takakura who dissaproves of his methods but you just know they will become bosom buddies by the end. They really lay the White Savior on thick where Nick more or less takes on the Yakuza single handed and no outside cop would be given that much leeway. Douglas does his normal obnoxious character who you kinda route for and there are a couple of decent set pieces ( and he and García have an odd relationship where the 2 cops call each other babe) but the sheer weight of all the cliches really undermines it - 3/5