By Drew Dietsch
| Revealed
The buddy cop sub-genre of motion films had peaked within the Nineteen Eighties however it continued to be a cushty and welcome avenue for moviegoers into the ‘90s. Nevertheless, of us had been prepared for more energizing takes on the fabric and an old school buddy cop flick wanted to inject its personal explicit taste into the combo. That’s how we bought Showdown in Little Tokyo, a 1991 Los Angeles shoot-em-up that introduced collectively Dolph Lundgren (Rocky IV, Common Solider) and rising motion star Brandon Lee, the son of cinema icon Bruce Lee.
Sadly, attributable to a studio re-cut and dumping by none aside from Warner Bros. (they’re good at dumping movies), Showdown in Little Tokyo ended up a forgotten and undesirable little film that has fortunately grown a cult following over time. After watching it for the primary time, I notice simply how robbed we had been of a buddy cop franchise that might have spun out of this little deal with of a film.
Why Showdown in Little Tokyo Rocks
Showdown in Little Tokyo has Sergeant Chris Kenner (Lundgren), who was raised in Japan, getting a brand new accomplice, Detective Johnny Murata (Lee), an American with Japanese heritage. Nevertheless, Murata doesn’t care and even know a lot about Japanese tradition. In the meantime, Kenner lives his life in very conventional Japanese fashions. This cartoon setup permits for extra enjoyable than you’d count on, particularly as a result of Lee and Lundgren even have some buffoonish however endearing chemistry.
Add to the combo Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Mortal Kombat, The Phantom) as a really diabolical over-the-top Yakuza villain with a tie to Kenner’s previous and Showdown in Little Tokyo is the sort of cliche cheese you both love or can’t abdomen. Sure, it has its “problematic” parts however it’s additionally a product of its time. To not point out it’s so absurd and embraces that cartoon sensibility. It’s a Saturday morning foolish as you will get and shouldn’t be taken too significantly so far as being the very best illustration of Asian-American cinema.
As an alternative, benefit from the himbo camaraderie that blossoms quickly between Lundgren and Lee. Relish within the brisk and jam-packed 79-minute operating time – admittedly, ten minutes had been allegedly reduce by Warner Bros. in line with director Mark L. Lester – that makes positive to maintain the heightened tone at most leisure. Go forward and watch the primary large motion scene and inform me this doesn’t seem like a popcorn good time:
If that doesn’t seem like the sort of film that may put a smile in your face, I don’t know if we will be friends.
The Franchise We By no means Obtained
Showdown in Little Tokyo was thrown into theaters again in August 1991 and opened within the #16 spot. Oof. It went on to scrape collectively somewhat over $2 million earlier than ending its field workplace run. A number of years later, Brandon Lee would tragically lose his life after an accident on the set of The Crow. After his loss of life, his films gained extra reappraisal. Nonetheless, Showdown in Little Tokyo showcased an actual promise for each Lee and Lundgren as a buddy cop duo. Their lunkhead charms got here from a spot of goofy heat that comes by within the film.
It makes me want we might have seen no less than another film with these two. Lundgren’s character is given extra of the main target in the case of backstory and perspective. A sequel would’ve given Lee an opportunity to dive into Johnny Murata’s historical past and the way that might strengthen his bond with Kenner. The thought of a sequence of movies with these two cartoon chuckleheads feels prefer it exists in an alternate universe I desperately need to go to.
Sadly, we solely have Showdown in Little Tokyo for this explicit onscreen pairing. Should you’ve by no means seen it, let its tacky goodness soften throughout you in much less time than it takes most fashionable blockbuster motion films to get going. You would do so much worse with 79 minutes of your time.
