Rising Sun

Plot synopsis:
During a commencement gala at the newly opened Los Angeles headquarters of Nakamoto, a Japanese keiretsu, a professional escort named Cheryl Lynn Austin (Tatjana Patitz) is found dead, apparently after a violent sexual encounter. Police Detectives Web Smith (Wesley Snipes) and John Connor (Sean Connery), a former police captain and expert on Japanese affairs, are sent to act as liaison between the Japanese executives and the investigating officer, Smith's former partner Tom Graham (Harvey Keitel). During the initial investigation, Connor and Smith review security footage taped by hidden surveillance cameras, and realize that one of the laserdiscs is missing.
Smith and Connor suspect Eddie Sakamura (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa), a sleazy yakuza playboy and Cheryl's boyfriend of killing her, and interrogate him at a house party. Sakamura promises to bring Connor something, and Connor reluctantly lets him go after confiscating his passport, due to his father having saved his life in Japan years ago. Ishihara, a Nakamoto employee whom Connor had previously interrogated, delivers the missing laserdisc, which clearly shows Sakamura killing Cheryl. Graham and Smith lead a SWAT raid on Sakamura's house. He tries to flee in a sports car, but crashes it into oncoming traffic and is killed.
Smith learns that Sakamura had attempted to contact him moments before the raid about the missing laserdisc, and with Connor takes the disc to an expert, Jingo Asakuma (Tia Carrere), who reveals that disc is copy and has been digitally altered to implicate Sakamura in the murder.
Nakamoto is in the midst of sensitive negotiations for the acquisition of an American software company, with Senator John Morton (Ray Wise), a guest at the party, abruptly changing his stance on a bill that would prevent the merger from going through. Suspecting his sudden shift is somehow related to the murder, Connor and Smith attempt to interview him at his campaign office, but without much success. Upon returning to Smith's apartment, the duo find Sakamura alive and well. He reveals that he was being tailed that day by Tanaka (Clyde Kusatsu), a Nakamoto security agent attempting to locate the original disc. Not wanting to be seen with Sakamura, Tanaka stole his sports car and committed suicide by crashing it. Eddie gives Connor the original, unaltered security footage, but before he can leave, Lt. Graham arrives with Ishihara, revealing the two to be in cahoots. Sakamura is killed trying to fight off Ishihara's men, and Smith is shot and left for dead, surviving only thanks to a bulletproof vest.
After being interrogated all night, Smith is put on paid leave due to an ongoing investigation of an earlier corruption charge. Regrouping with Connor and Jingo, the three view the original surveillance footage, which shows Senator Morton performing erotic asphyxiation on Cheryl while Sakamura looks on. Falsely believing to have killed her, Morton changes his stance on the regulation bill to stay in Nakamoto's good graces. After leaving the boardroom, the footage shows an unknown figure approaching and killing Cheryl by strangulation.
Hoping to draw the killer out, Connor and Smith send fax Morton stills of the footage showing his implicit involvement in the murder. Panicking, Morton contacts Ishihara, revealing the executive to be in on the cover-up as well. Morton commits suicide, and Connor, Smith, and Jingo interrupt the merger negotiations to show Nakamoto President Yoshida (Mako Iwamatsu), the surveillance footage. Bob Richmond (Kevin Anderson), an American lawyer working for Nakamoto, reveals himself as the killer and tries to run away, only to be drowned in wet cement by Sakamura's friends.
Yoshida maintains his and his colleagues innocence, quietly exiling Ishihara to a desk job back in Japan. Smith drives Jingo home, where she casts doubt on whether Richmond was really the murderer, or if he was simply taking the fall to protect someone higher up in the organization.

Tags: mystery, neo noir, murder, suspenseful, violence, intrigue, revenge

Review:
Sean Connery, Wesley Snipes and Harvey Keitel star, along with Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Kevin Anderson, Mako and Tia Carrere.
It's Japanese-big business-politics intrigue with surveillance cameras being the key to figuring out a murder.Connery and Snipes complement each other as a "buddy" cop duo with Connery being mostly responsible for making this story interesting.
I actually read the book before seeing the movie, I recall at the time (many years ago) that I didn't think Snipes fit the kohai role very well.
"Rising Sun"There is an old Japanese motto: "Business is war." Well, that sentence is taken to new heights in the Philip Kaufman thriller "Rising Sun," based on the best-selling novel by Michael Crichton.Wesley Snipes plays Web Smith, a Japanese-American liaison officer in LA who is called on duty after a young woman is found dead at the opening party for the new Japanese company named Nakamoto.
Sean Connery plays John Connor, a retired liaison officer who is an expert on Japanese customs and culture.
Soon, foul play is suspected, and Smith and Connor must find the killer before it is too late."Rising Sun" is taken from a great novel, and turned into an average thriller.
It stays surprisingly true to the book, but the very few things that stray from the course of the novel turn out to be the blunders.There are no sparks flying between Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes.
Connery is perfect for the character of John Connor, but Snipes just doesn't fit Peter Smith - whose name was changed to Web Smith for the film, for no apparent reason other than Peter isn't a suiting name for Snipes.The director/screenplay writer of "Rising Sun" - Philip Kaufman, who brought us "The Right Stuff" - seems to have charisma and obviously tries to keep the film true to the book.
And of course, he didn't want to miss being paired with the man himself, Sean Connery!Tight direction, entertaining dialogues(especially Connery's yap on Japanese traditions are hilarious), the suspense and also intense performances from Connery & Snipes make this movie a winner.
But the movie amply compensates with tense moments.The only places where I feel our attention span drops are those kinda tediously long camera footages shown of the murder and all that explanation by the hot Tia Carrere on how the video was edited blah, blah!Verdict: Still, a highly engaging thriller.
The background of the film is the American-Japonese business competition in L.A. where a cop (Wesley Snipes) accused by corruption teams up with old man (Sean Connery) , expert on Japanese world .
When the suspect dies in a chase the investigation seems over but a closer investigation of the evidence shows that the case is far from closed.Not being a real big fan of Michael Crichton, I wasn't sure how I'd like this film  I'm not a big traveler and don't buy my books in the airport when I do travel!
Wesley Snipes plays Web Smith, a lieutenant in the LAPD assigned to investigate a murder on the Los Angeles premises of a Japanese corporation.
Sure, it's no masterpiece, but this adaptation of a Michael Crichton novel makes for compelling viewing, a fun entry in the East-meets-West sub-genre of the films detailing the conflict that arises when two different cultures are forced to come together.The plot is essentially that of a murder mystery, but with Crichton as source material there's the expected preoccupation with technology (a piece of CCTV footage plays a pivotal role here, throwing up questions as to privacy and manipulation, with the film feeling way ahead of its time some twenty years later).
Connery bags the best role and steals all of his scenes, while Harvey Keitel gives a volatile performance and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is a pleasure when he's given the chance to act (and not typecast as the villain, either).
Lt. Webster Smith (Wesley Snipes) and Japan expert Captain John Connor (Sean Connery) are assigned to solve it.
Smith is made black for no good reason, the anti-Japanese slant was toned down a lot, there was no romantic interest between Snipes and Tia Carrere as is shown in this movie and the identity of the killer was completely changed!
But, if you ignore the book, this is OK on its own terms.It's well done and written and there's some good acting by Connery, Ray Wise (as a slimy senator), Harvey Keitel (as a cop) and Steve Buscemi (still not sure what he was).
The movie starts off with a goofball karaoke scene where Eddie Sakamura, the lead bad guy in another absolutely awful performance by Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, singing a country song called Don't Fence Me In, in a scene that's probably one of the most pathetic attempts to develop a three dimensional character in cinematic history.
The worst of the screenplay writing comes in about when Sean Connery's John Connor (real creative name, guys) is introduced, and continues pretty much until the end of the film.
Welsey Snipes embarrasses himself by taking on a role in which he serves no other purpose than to be Wesley Snipes so that his name can go on the cover of the movie and trick action fans into thinking this might be another fast paced Snipes film (he's not the best action hero in the world, but he has certainly come out with better stuff than THIS), and to stand around and ask questions like a confused child.
Rising Sun is a forgotten decent underrated mystery thriller based on Michael Crichton's novel and that a good one.
This movie I like a lot and it is Wesley Snipes best performance a long side Sean Connery.
Accompanied by a detective (Connery) with unusual knowledge of the Japanese Culture the two men must unreval the mystery behind the murder by entering an underground "shadow world" of futuristic technology ancient ways and confusing loyalties.Also the cast includes Harvey Keitel, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Kevin Anderson, Mako, Tia Carrere, Ray Wise and Stan Shaw.
To me this movie is one of my favorite Wesley Snipes films and that a good one, a lot Connery and Snipes complement each other as a "buddy" cop duo with Connery being mostly responsible for making this story interesting.
Rising Sun is a 1993 American crime film written and directed by Philip Kaufman, starring Sean Connery (who was also an executive producer), Wesley Snipes, Harvey Keitel, and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa.
Michael Crichton and Michael Backes wrote the screenplay, based on Crichton's novel of the same name.7/10 Grade: B Studio: 20th Century Fox Starring: Sean Connery, Wesley Snipes, Harvey Keitel, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Kevin Anderson, Mako, Tia Carrere, Ray Wise, Stan Shaw Director: Philip Kaufman Producer: Peter Kaufman Writter: Michael Crichton, Philip Kaufman, Michael Backes Based on Rising Sun by Michael Crichton Rated: R Running Time: 2 Hrs. 09 Mins.
Beyond this the acting is like what you would find in a a Jim Jarmusch film (ie: bad), and you can't help but feel sorry for Harvey Keitel who wouldn't be able to act badly if he tried, and Sean Connery and, well, the whole cast when you think about it, who are stuck with this director and script, both of which were not up to par with the ambition they were aiming for (I'm guessing intellectual thriller).
It stars Sean Connery, Wesley Snipes, Harvey Keitel, Ray Wise and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa.
John Connor (Connery) and Lt. Webster "Web" Smith (Snipes) paired together to try and solve the mystery of a woman murdered at a Japanese high corporation party.
The best moments are the ones which deal with video manipulations.That's typically Crichtonesque:in "mondwest",which he directed,he created a fake world,in "coma",things are not what they seem."Looker" reveals a threatening side of advertising,and advertising is par excellence manipulation .Let's mention that Antonioni's "blow-up" had already tackled the "there's more to the picture than meets the eye" topic though,and even DePalma's "blow out" displayed more care and respect for the audience.Unfortunately,Crichton does not direct here.Philip Kaufman is always showing off,his remake of "body snatchers" made up for the lack of new ideas with gaudy pictures and a fair share of nudity.And if you're looking for nudity,you will not be disappointed here.If you're looking for substance,suspense and relevance,it's definitely not your cup of tea.Kaufman even calls Hitchcock for help:the murder which we see on Mako's glasses is a "strangers on a train" rip-off.What remains is Eagles-versus-rising sun economic feud:most of the time,it's boring,because the movie is overlong,and the killer's identity is not such a big surprise(and he dies a terrible death at that!).Sean Connery who produces this film ,teams up with Snipes and ,as a lot of actors before him, falls in the trap of "hostile cops partners at the beginning,who little by little find reciprocal esteem.(We've been in this movie before).
'Rising Sun' Synopsis: When a professional escort is found dead, apparently after a violent sexual encounter, Police Detective Web Smith & John Connor, a former police Captain and expert on Japanese affairs, are sent to investigate.'Rising Sun' is good stuff.
The film is good thanks to the interplay between Snipes and Connery, there is not really a whole lot of action in this movie so it is good that they do such a good job with their roles.
Connery plays a police detective with an expertise in Japanese culture who's called in to assist on a murder case that took place at an LA high rise owned by a Japanese multinational corporation.
Connery is partnered with a very American of detective, Wesley Snipes, which unfortunately gives the film a disappointingly conventional buddy-cop-film vibe that was wisely absent from Crichton's novel.
Crichton (a film director himself) and "Rising Sun" director Philip Kaufman reportedly clashed over changes to the script Kaufman made regarding making Connor's partner black, which I'll side with Kaufman that it added an interesting new element in this clash of cultures murder mystery, but I'll side with Crichton in that it was badly done.
For Sean Connery fans they will be pleased with what Connery does in this film.Wesley Snipes plays a Los Angeles homicide detective who has it insisted to him that he bring retired police captain Connery along with him to solve a murder committed in one of those glass tower buildings owned by a Japanese firm.
This adaptation of Crichton's novel of the same name is flawed, specially in some key casting (Snipes is wrong for the part) and tone choices (the main relationship is badly portrayed, some characters enter and leave without regard and the action scenes seem very off).However, it makes the grade into the above-average category of high-tech thrillers for the excellent Sir Connery performance and the adherence, in about 80%, to the gripping and quite scary, economically speaking, original plot.Crichton was never afraid to take a stand and the movie version, although clearly into a more action-driven-politically-correct approach, tried to present a more layered portrayal of the business war arena, without hiding the author's criticism of the American posture towards the velvet covered Japanese iron hand on such matters, which is refreshing.The pace is lightning fast, the convoluted plot is presented in a very satisfactory fashion - the audience can understand what is going on and why - and the almost 2-hour movie passes by with grace.The little disappointment goes for the last 20 minutes, that present a rather stupid conclusion (different from the book, I might add) and wastes the audience time with perfunctory developments that could, easily, have remained in the edit room floor..
For the most part, "Rising Sun" is ably told, although some of the minute details (that aren't so minute) are slightly confusing.Apparently, Michael Crichton imagined Connery playing John Conner as he was writing the book, and that's readily apparent.
Here is why: "Rising Sun" is about the story of two police detectives, Web Smith (Snipes), and John Connor (Connery), who are brought in hastily to investigate the murder of a prostitute inside the luxurious offices of a Japanese multinational.
Cops Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes are trying to solve a case involving a murdered American woman and a high-class Japanese corporation.
Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes chew up the scenery in RISING SUN, the film adaptation of Michael Crichton's best-selling novel of the same name.
Rising Sun had a scene that so annoyed me it overshadowed everything before it and after it.John Connor (Sean Connery)--not to be confused with John Connor from Terminator--and Web Smith (Wesley Snipes) were pursuing a suspect in their murder case.
Wesley Snipes and Sean Connery play 2 detectives who are called to the scene of the crime.
Rising Sun is basically a buddy-cop movie paring the unlikely duo of Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes.
The film has a few nice action sequences, enjoyable performances from Connery and Snipes, and a plot with enough twists and turns (even though the real killer's identity is as obvious as the hand in front of your face) to keep me reasonably interested throughout.
Talky detective mystery/thriller with Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes.
RELEASED IN 1993 and directed by Philip Kaufman based on Michael Crichton's 1992 novel, "Rising Sun" stars Sean Connery & Wesley Snipes as two L.A. detectives familiar with Japanese culture who are assigned to investigate the murder of a prostitute at a Japanese owned skyscraper.
Harvey Keitel plays the tough cop in charge of the investigation while Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa appears as the charismatic Japanese suspect.It should be stressed that this isn't an action movie, like the "Die Hard" flicks, it's a modern film noir suspense thriller with a Far East mystery.
Crichton's novel emphasizes the differences between the Japanese and Western mindsets, particularly in the areas of business strategy and corporate culture."Rising Sun" scores pretty well on the female front, highlighted by Tia Carrere, Alexandra Powers, Tylyn John and Tatjana Patitz.
Web Smith (Wesley Snipes) is called in but he's told to bring John Connor (Sean Connery) along.
I remembered liking it, and I have a soft spot for old Sean Connery so gave it another go when it was on TV.Plot In A Paragraph: During a party at the United States offices of a Japanese corporation, a woman is found dead, apparently after a violent sexual encounter.
Police Detectives Web Smith (Wesley Snipes) and John Connor(Sean Connery), a former police Captain and expert on Japanese affairs, are sent to act as liaison between the Japanese and the investigating officer, Smith's former partner Tom Graham (Harvey Kietel).Whilst it was not as good as I remember Sean Connery does what you would expect of him in his mentor role, and he does it well.
With a cast that includes the original and still the best James Bond and Wesley Snipes, as well as many character actors famous for playing heavies in movies, it would have been so easy to make a cheap, b-grade action movie out of the novel Crichton wrote.
"Rising Sun," a murder mystery with two heroes investigating shady Japanese businessmen is an enjoyable thriller on the strength of the leads alone.
Wesley Snipes compliments Connery nicely as Webb Smith although his role basically requires him to look baffled throughout the whole movie.
I rented it this movie for two reasons : (a) it was based on a M.Crichton book and (b) Sean Connery was playing.
I am sure that Crichton had Sean Connery in mind when he was developing the character of LAPD officer John Connor : extremely clever, dressed in Armani suits, excellent golf player, fluent in Japanese, and could kill with his thumb (a different kind of J.Bond!).
Although the hi-tech gadgets of the Japanese implicated in the film (zoom-in cameras, laser disks etc.) has become today trivial stuff, the Rising Sun is still a good police thriller to watch.
Wesley Snipes plays the young "thinks-he-knows-all" cop (Web Smih) who is assignned to investigate the murder of a "white" girl at a Japanese firm.
To that end, I do like the pairing of Connery and Snipes; and were they in a different movie, you'd have something.
It is hard to pass up a Sean Connery movie, especially one with Wesley Snipes.
Through his experience of living in "the land of the rising sun", Connor had learned a great deal about Japanese culture and customs and uses this knowledge to good effect to interact smoothly with the people from the Nakamoto Corporation and to advance the police investigation far quicker than would otherwise have been possible.It soon emerges that the laser disk recording of the murder had been doctored and so further work then becomes necessary to access the original recording and to investigate whether there was any special significance to evidence of Austin's involvement with Senator John Morton (Ray Wise) who, for reasons of national security, had strongly opposed the negotiations that Nakamoto were conducting with MicroCon.A complicated plot, the complexities of its characters and the difficulties created by cultural differences, all add interest to what otherwise would have been a simple whodunit.
This is a film that took me by surprise when I first watched it because of how chill and easygoing it is, much like character John Conner, played by Sean Connery, an eccentric detective and friend of the Japanese businessmen they're investigating, who knows the Japanese inside out and is therefore the best man for the case.
This is a fairly solid thriller with great performances from Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes as Capt.
That doesn't spoil the film though as it is a decent story which is well acted, hhile Connery and Snipes are clearly the stars the film includes good actors like Harvey Keitel and Steve Buscemi in relatively minor roles..
This movie has two things going for it: Wesley Snipes, before he went all vampire-zombie, and Sean Connery, who's always a welcome presence.
Called in to investigate the death is police detective Lt. Webster Smith (Wesley Snipes), but he is called by someone who tells him that should pick up former police Captain and an expert on Japanese affairs, John Connor (Sir Sean Connery) (not to be confused with the saviour of mankind in the Terminator films, LOL).