Product: Showdown in Little Tokyo [VHS] (1991)
Rating: 3.0
Lee, Lundgren Team Up For Ultimate Showdown
Brandon Lee and Dolph Lundgren team up as renegade cops with extensive martial arts portfolios in Showdown in Little Tokyo. The catch here is that the blonde-headed Lundgren has more of a connection with traditional martial arts and Japanese culture than his American-ized counterpart, Lee. The mismatch works well for laughs and for action as both Lee and Lundgren get to display their talents on a number of bad guys.For Lee, this is a traditional stroll down memory lane - a film vehicle his father, Bruce, may have taken on and the typical sort of flick he turned out before his tragic death on the set of the Crowe in 1994. For Lundgren, he displays martial arts skills never-before-seen in his previous pictures. Donning the boxing trunks in Rocky IV, he kept his powerhouse kick boxing skills under wraps in the ring. The rest of his films opt for graphic gore via armed weapons. Needless to say, seeing a six-foot-seven man executing sweeping kicks and unparalleled agility is a sight.Of course, in buddy cop films, chemistry is always the deciding factor in whether or not the film works (and in some cases, if a sequel is made). Thanks to a humor-filled script, both stars excel at the cheap shots, even if Lundgren's delivery is somewhat wooded in places. The film doesn't misfire. While it certainly didn't receive any honors as an artistic piece, Showdown delivers the goods: Awe-inspiring delivery of martial arts and a more than adequate story line that keeps the action going at a modest pace.The DVD version is a decent capture of the film. The colors are crisp and the picture is mostly flawless. The down side is that there are no extra features on this disc. Still, most action fans aren't in the hunt for too many extras. Definitely a good addition to your DVD collection.