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

[Tom]

I have a Zoom meeting with the legendary Mr Lester on Monday. Sadly no time for any Dolph related questions, though I'd wager J has got every nugget possible from Mark already.
But I'm writing a film which Mark is exec producing. Another film I have in the works (not with Mark) also has inspiration from Showdown, so it's a great to be working with such an icon.

[Jox]

Very cool, Tom.

(I don't know if I got "every nugget possible", but I was glad when I finally had my interview with him on SILT because it took a good three or four years, and he ended up giving me more time than what he initially said, which in between meetings at the Cannes film market was pretty cool to do.)

[Jox]

30 years ago this spring, SHOWDOWN was finally getting released in Europe... straight to video!

The video release being spread from April to June 1992, SILT was the very 1st DTV title for Lundgren in a number of countries such as France and Germany.

DTV in the UK as well, there was apparently a one-night only screening in London's Scala Cinema as you can tell by this ad published in IMPACT magazine:

[Jox]

Dwight H. Little:

Was your next action movie, RAPID FIRE, an attempt of Fox to launch Brandon Lee’s career as the next big action star?

Yes, absolutely. At that time, you could make four or five successful action movies in a row if you had a Chuck Norris. There was a demand for these movies. They had seen Brandon in this Dolph Lundgren movie that nobody saw [SHOWDOWN IN LITTLE TOKYO]. They saw the potential. And them being the mercenaries they are, they also saw the Bruce Lee marketing potential. They clearly wanted their own in-house action star. And Brandon was young, handsome, he had the pedigree, he could do the action. Yes, it was a calculated effort to create a star.

https://www.flashbackfiles.com/dwight-little-interview

(Actually Brandon was already signed to do RAPID FIRE before SHOWDOWN was released, perhaps even before it was made if my memory serves...)



Mark L. Lester:

Did you consciously move away from big studio movies after that?

No, I did CLASS OF 1999 because I had been developing it for quite some time, and after that I did SHOWDOWN IN LITTLE TOKYO for Warner. It was after that one, that I decided to set up my own company and make my own movies. It was at the beginning of the DVD era. Lions Gate was starting out. They needed lots of movies. I said I would make them ten films. And I did. I made ten films in a three year period: THE EX, MISBEGOTTEN, DOUBLE TAKE, THE BASE, BLOWBACK and others. I made all these films for Lions Gate when they started out. It was a lot of fun, because it went back to my early days, when I didn’t have a studio telling me what to do.

SHOWDOWN IN LITTLE TOKYO is somewhat of a cult classic now. People are having a ball watching that movie, it’s so over the top. At the time Warner Brothers was less enthusiastic about it.

Yeah, I was going for exaggerated reality. Kind of a pop art thing or a comic book. But Warner took about ten minutes out of the film, which were pretty good actually. They changed it all around. They didn’t do a big release, but I guess people liked it. The studio interference was good inspiration to start my own company.

https://www.flashbackfiles.com/mark-l-lester-interview

[Jox]

Screening at Toronto's Revue Cinema on August 12th (could be on 35mm)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CeoZqIDgtAB/

[Jox]

So, SHOWDOWN reportedly opened States-side on 140 screens but...

If we look at the advert ran in The Los Angeles Times of Aug 23, 1991, it seems that about 100 of those screens were in the greater Los Angeles / Northern California area alone!

To those living in the US, does it sound plausible?

The_Los_Angeles_Times_Fri__Aug_23__1991_ copy 4.jpg (177.16 KiB) Viewed 9815 times

Screens listing close-up:

The_Los_Angeles_Times_Fri__Aug_23__1991_ copy 2.jpg (119.32 KiB) Viewed 9815 times

Ad found in LA Times, through Newspapers.com (my new addictive resource!)

[Jox]

Hungarian poster (from a magazine or something I guess?)

[Jox]

Screening at Toronto's Revue Cinema on August 12th (could be on 35mm)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CeoZqIDgtAB/

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cf6cFtzMtIY/

blackbeltcinema

It's a great honor to unveil this absolutely gorgeous painting we had commissioned by プーチャミン @poochamin_art for our upcoming screening of SHOWDOWN IN LITTLE TOKYO on FRI AUG 12TH at 9:30PM @revuecinema

[Krom]

Wow, wish i was there, i hope i’ll see an original print screened for Dolph 80s and early 90s movies. I was so let down by Rocky IV recut in theaters!

[Jox]

Screening at Toronto's Revue Cinema on August 12th (could be on 35mm)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CeoZqIDgtAB/

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cf6cFtzMtIY/

blackbeltcinema

It's a great honor to unveil this absolutely gorgeous painting we had commissioned by プーチャミン @poochamin_art for our upcoming screening of SHOWDOWN IN LITTLE TOKYO on FRI AUG 12TH at 9:30PM @revuecinema

Here's a trailer cut for the screening with some serious 70s vibe:

[Jox]

https://twitter.com/blackbeltcinema/sta ... 4482267139

@blackbeltcinema

Just 9 more sleeps until SHOWDOWN IN LITTLE TOKYO Fri Aug 12th 9:30pm at @RevueCinema

Copies of the event poster by @poochamin_art will be available for purchase the night of the event!
Tickets:
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/black-belt- ... 1775810187

[alex.sp89]

I wish someone can take an interview from Mark Lester or Dolph online before sceeening SILT in theatre the next week.
Who knows maybe they prepared something special for this event ? Maybe a director's cut from Lester beta like Goldblatt did with his own copy of The Punisher... Dreams may come true

[Jox]

Warner Bros. studios, August 30, 1991
(photo from composer David Michael Frank's website)

[Jox]

https://twitter.com/blackbeltcinema/status/1554845464482267139

@blackbeltcinema

Just 9 more sleeps until SHOWDOWN IN LITTLE TOKYO Fri Aug 12th 9:30pm at @RevueCinema

Copies of the event poster by @poochamin_art will be available for purchase the night of the event!
Tickets:
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/black-belt- ... 1775810187

Limited run t-shirt
https://www.instagram.com/p/ChH_CDdg8tU/

[alex.sp89]

Today is a big even. I wish to be there to watch it on big screen...In 11 days is SILT Birthday - 31 years old. Jesus, was it so long time ago. Feels like yesterday to me