Rising Sun
1/4
Starring: Wesley Snipes, Sean Connery, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Harvey Keitel, Tia Carerre, Ray Wise, Mako, Steve Buscemi
Rated R for Strong Sexuality, Language and Some Violence
"Rising Sun" made me uneasy. It has nothing to do with the violence or sex. Instead, what made me uncomfortable are the racist overtones in the film. The depiction of Japanese culture is offensive because it is filled with contempt. I like movies that take me into another world, but rather than create a rich society that the hero slowly discovers, "Rising Sun" presents Japanese people as duplicitous, superficial and vicious. If this sounds unpleasant to you, it's even worse having to experience it through a stupid murder mystery and bad filmmaking.
A controversial sale between an American arms company and a Japanese conglomerate has been sidetracked by the murder of a call girl. Cheryl Lynn Austin (Tatjana Patitz) has been found strangled in a boardroom during a party to commemorate the event. Lt. Web Smith (Snipes) is on the case, and has been asked to bring in Captain John Connor (Connery), an expert on Japanese culture, to augment the investigation. But as they soon find out, catching the killer isn't as simple as following the evidence.
The problem with this film is that it views Japanese culture and people with hostility that director Philip Kaufman doesn't bother to hide. Every single character of Japanese extraction is a creep and/or corrupt. The aspects of their social structure that drive the plot aren't treated with a genuine curiosity, but malice and repression. They're always pulling the strings and only acting in their own self-interest. Way to go, guys.
Wesley Snipes and Sean Connery do what they can with this meager and distasteful material. Snipes is steady and controlled, while Connery brings a touch of class to a movie that desperately needs it. Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa has fun playing the colorful villain, but his co-stars are pure caricature. They're obsessed with "honor" and saving face, and being emotionless zombies with a dose of economic ruthlessness.
Philip Kaufman made "The Right Stuff," which was a glorious epic about the space race. He also made "Twisted," a movie so bad that not even the talents of Ashley Judd and Samuel L. Jackson could have saved it from sinking like a dead rock. He should stick to a genre that he knows. And not make a movie centered on some truly trashy values. He should also use a screenplay that's not riddled with holes and inconsistencies.
Racist, nonsensical, and almost always boring, "Rising Sun" is trash.
Starring: Wesley Snipes, Sean Connery, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Harvey Keitel, Tia Carerre, Ray Wise, Mako, Steve Buscemi
Rated R for Strong Sexuality, Language and Some Violence
"Rising Sun" made me uneasy. It has nothing to do with the violence or sex. Instead, what made me uncomfortable are the racist overtones in the film. The depiction of Japanese culture is offensive because it is filled with contempt. I like movies that take me into another world, but rather than create a rich society that the hero slowly discovers, "Rising Sun" presents Japanese people as duplicitous, superficial and vicious. If this sounds unpleasant to you, it's even worse having to experience it through a stupid murder mystery and bad filmmaking.
A controversial sale between an American arms company and a Japanese conglomerate has been sidetracked by the murder of a call girl. Cheryl Lynn Austin (Tatjana Patitz) has been found strangled in a boardroom during a party to commemorate the event. Lt. Web Smith (Snipes) is on the case, and has been asked to bring in Captain John Connor (Connery), an expert on Japanese culture, to augment the investigation. But as they soon find out, catching the killer isn't as simple as following the evidence.
The problem with this film is that it views Japanese culture and people with hostility that director Philip Kaufman doesn't bother to hide. Every single character of Japanese extraction is a creep and/or corrupt. The aspects of their social structure that drive the plot aren't treated with a genuine curiosity, but malice and repression. They're always pulling the strings and only acting in their own self-interest. Way to go, guys.
Wesley Snipes and Sean Connery do what they can with this meager and distasteful material. Snipes is steady and controlled, while Connery brings a touch of class to a movie that desperately needs it. Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa has fun playing the colorful villain, but his co-stars are pure caricature. They're obsessed with "honor" and saving face, and being emotionless zombies with a dose of economic ruthlessness.
Philip Kaufman made "The Right Stuff," which was a glorious epic about the space race. He also made "Twisted," a movie so bad that not even the talents of Ashley Judd and Samuel L. Jackson could have saved it from sinking like a dead rock. He should stick to a genre that he knows. And not make a movie centered on some truly trashy values. He should also use a screenplay that's not riddled with holes and inconsistencies.
Racist, nonsensical, and almost always boring, "Rising Sun" is trash.
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