Black Rain (1989)

This movie takes place in Japan and involves the Japanese Yakuza, better and simply known as the Japanese Mafia

Summary

-When a Yakuza hitman and member is arrested and extradited back to Japan, two New York police officers must escort him back

Cast

-Michael Douglas: Nick Conklin

-Andy Garcia: Charlie Vincent

-Ken Takakura: Masahiro

-Kate Capshaw: Joyce

-Yusaku Matsuda: Sato

-Shigeru Koyama: Ohashi

-Guts Ishimatsu: Katayama

-Yuya Uchida: Nashida

-Tomisaburo Wakayama: Sugai

Did You Know?

-This was the last film for actor Yusaku Matsuda, who played Sato. He discovered he had cancer of the bladder and it would be further aggravated by acting in the movie. He chose to ignore his doctor's warning and do the film anyway, without the knowledge of director Ridley Scott. He was even reported as saying "This way, I will live forever." He died on November 6, 1989, less than seven weeks after the movie made its American debut. This film is a dedication to his memory

-In most Japanese films Ken Takakura was known for playing Yakuza gangster roles while Yusaku Matsuda was known for playing police-related roles. In this movie, however, the roles are switched. Takakura plays a police officer while Matsuda plays a Yakuza gangster

-The winery that the final scenes take place at are not located in Japan, but in Napa Valley, California. The visa for the filmmakers had run out and filming had to be transferred to the United States

-When filming ran even a few minutes over the allotted time at any point in Japan, not only were people told to leave, but a man physically walked in front of the camera and forbade them to continue

-The plot of this movie was originally designed for one of the Beverly Hills Cop movies

-When the Yakuza oyabun (leader) Sugai is talking to Nick at his home, he mentions "black rain". This is a reference to the soot and radioactive fallout lingering in the air after the dual bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. When the soot and radiation mixed with the clouds, it resulted in rain that was black in color and highly dangerous

-The building used for the Osaka Police Office is actually the Osaka Office of Prevention of Natural Disasters. The real Osaka Police Headquarters is only right next door

-The futuristic-looking exterior shots of Sugai's home were not in Japan, but California. The home is in Los Angeles. This house was also used as Rick Deckard's house in 1982's Blade Runner

-Chinese film legend Jackie Chan was offered the role of Sato. He turned it down for fear of his fans seeing him as a "bad" character

-This movie was the final film of veteran Japanese actor Tomisaburo Wakayama, who played the Yakuza oyabun (leader) Sugai. He died of heart failure on April 2, 1992 at the age of 62

-The motorcycle gang that taunts Nick and Charlie are based on a real motorcycle gang that exists in Osaka, Japan. Known to locals as "Bosozoku", they do taunt and disturb locals with their loud motorcycles and acting as both vigilantes and troublemakers

-The steel mill Nick goes to is the former Mitsubishi Steel works in Osaka. It's now home to Universal Studios Japan

-In the local area of Osaka, Nick Conklin was made a laughingstock for having signed over his prisoner to the Yakuza, disguised as police, using insurance forms. If, hypothetically, the events had actually occurred, it would have been small time in comparison to the lapse of judgement from the Japanese police for not securing the plane at the airport prior to the Yakuza boarding. Conklin could have gone in an International Court to sue and would have had no obligation to track down the suspect

-Rutger Hauer and Harrison Ford were considered for the role of Nick Conklin

-The song "Laserman" for the soundtrack was composed by Japanese musician Ryuichi Sakamoto

-This film shows Kate Capshaw in her second role as an American involved with underworld crime syndicates. The first one was Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom, where she played an American singer named Willie in a Shanghai, China nightclub. In this film, she plays Joyce, a hostess running a nightclub in Osaka, Japan

-Jeff Bridges, Willem Dafoe, Kurt Russell, Michael Keaton, Michael Nouri, Peter Weller, Ron Perlman, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Michael Nouri, Kevin Costner, Richard Dreyfuss, Bruce Willis, Patrick Swayze were all considered for the role of Nick Conklin. But Michael Douglas won the role because Paramount favored him because of his relationship with producers Sherry Lansing and Stanley R. Jaffe

-In the scene where Koji Sato meets his former boss Sugai is an old Yakuza ritual called Otoshimae (finger shortening). It can also be referred to as yubitsume, since in Japanese "yubi" refers to fingers, specifically the pinky finger. In the world of the Yakuza, finger shortening is a way for a member to make amends to a leader for a transgression or offense. The ritual is suspected of originating with the Bakuto, who were stubborn gamblers who became the predecessors of what is known as the Yakuza. If someone were unable to pay off a gambling debt, that person would have to commit yubitsume for an alternative to repayment

-While on the plane to Japan, Nick and Charlie talk about a cop named Ronin who was suspected of taking money from a drug bust. In Japan, "ronin" is a masterless Samurai, a lone renegade who is viewed by other Samurai as being of a lower rank

-Originally, this film was due to premier in theaters in August 1989. But it was pushed back to September 1992 to avoid the crowded summer season for films