SHOWDOWN IN LITTLE TOKYO (Mark L. Lester, 1991)

[Jox]

Who remembers VCDs?

[Travis]

To my knowledge, they were more of a thing in Asia. The USA didn't have them.

[shooby]

In Europe we had VCD too, but it was really rare

[Jox]

Yes, they disappeared fast but there were a few, JOSHUA TREE got a French VCD instead of a Laserdisc.

[Jox]

Israeli VHS

[Jox]

[Jox]

With the novel published in 1992 and the movie in 1993, Michael Crichton's RISING SUN was kind of the "auteur" version of SHOWDOWN IN LITTLE TOKYO... Sean Connery is Dolph Lundgren, Wesley Snipes is Brandon Lee, and even Tia Carrere is back and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa reprises his role of Yoshida!

[Moltisanti]

Never really thought about that, but it's true!

[Jox]

I wanted to mention it when we chatted the other day and forgot
Ever since I saw it back then it was obvious to me.

Back then, my dream SHOWDOWN would have been what it is but perfectly blended with Pollack / Mitchum's THE YAKUZA (also many similarities, even the house assault/shoutout look alike somehow), BLACK RAIN, and RISING SUN (not as good as it could have been IMO) as well I guess...

[savagesketch]

With the novel published in 1992 and the movie in 1993, Michael Crichton's RISING SUN was kind of the "auteur" version of SHOWDOWN IN LITTLE TOKYO... Sean Connery is Dolph Lundgren, Wesley Snipes is Brandon Lee, and even Tia Carrere is back and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa reprises his role of Yoshida!

Definitely true. Then again, while RISING SUN is certainly the more serious piece, SHOWDOWN is the more fun! Which is what makes SHOWDOWN much more memorable than RISING SUN!

[Jox]

I don't remember if I pointed this out yet:
given SHOWDOWN's US gross about $2 million on 140 screens ($14,2850 per theatre) was actually good and it could have been a modest hit had they put it on 1,200 theatres, if you consider that RED SCORPION and I COME IN PEACE had both grossed only $4 million with 1,200+ screens each ($3,333 per theatre)...

So maybe it had a potential to make $15-20 million (like MOTU)? Also it was probably a bad idea to release it in the summer that had T2, POINT BREAK, BACKDRAFT, THE ROCKETEER, ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES etc... Waiting for the fall have been safer.

[Moltisanti]

It was also only two weeks after DOUBLE IMPACT and the exact same day as HARLEY DAVIDSON AND THE MARLBORO MAN. HARLEY was by no means a hit but it and SHOWDOWN didn't do each other favors by opening the same day.

[Jox]

Right, I was sure which month DOUBLE IMPACT opened in the US, which is why I didn't mention it.

[savagesketch]

Latest episode of I MUST BREAK THIS PODCAST is up, this time discussing Mark L. Lester's SHOWDOWN IN LITTLE TOKYO! This was a ton of fun to talk about! Major thanks to BOTH Jox and Moltisanti for joining me once again!

https://imustbreakthispodcast.wordpress ... tle-tokyo/
https://soundcloud.com/imustbreakthispo ... ttle-tokyo

Please continue listening, subscribing, and spreading the word!

[Jox]

Yes!

This was really fun to do, a full on Dolph Ultimate joint effort. I can modestly say this is probably one of the best episodes so far, so strap on your Japanese headband, revise your katas, sharpen your katana swords, and take a wild trip to Little Tokyo with us!