How did “Black Rain” become “Osaka Noir”?

"Black Rain" synopsis

NYPD officers Nick and Charlie arrest Sato, the perpetrator of a brutal murder in New York. While they were being escorted to Japan, they were run away by Sato. Nick and his friends go to Osaka to investigate with the help of the Osaka Prefectural Police, and end up becoming targets of yakuza in the mysterious underworld...

Index

• Osaka as seen by Ridley Scott
• Shooting in Kansai, where there were many restrictions
• Cinematographer Jan de Bont was hired as a pinch hitter.
• Oscar-winning editor brings together chaotic material

Osaka as seen by Ridley Scott

Released in 1989, ``Black Rain'' was produced by Stanley R. Jaffe and Shelley Lansing, who produced such blockbuster hits as `` A Fatal Attraction '' (1987) and ``The Accusation '' (1988).・It's action. New York detective Nick Conklin (Michael Douglas) flies to Osaka in pursuit of Sato (Yusaku Matsuda), a Japanese yakuza who has the original version of counterfeit bills, and teams up with local detective Matsumoto (Ken Takakura) in a deadly battle. go.

The title refers to the ``black rain'' mixed with black smoke from explosions, and is a metaphor for air raids. In other words, the story depicts the cultural conflict between Japan and the United States based on the scenario that the United States rained down its own values ​​on Japan, which led to the rise of neo-yakuza such as Sato.

It has already been over 30 years since this film was first released. However, director Ridley Scott is still a top director active at the forefront of the industry, and Michael Douglas, who played Nick, has also joined Marvel's superhero movies, and is currently at the forefront of Hollywood. (Andy Garcia is still alive).

"Black Rain" preview

On the other hand, many of the main Japanese cast members have passed away, including not only Yusaku Matsuda, but also Ken Takakura, Shigeru Kamiyama, Tomisaburo Wakayama, Yuya Uchida, Rikiya Yasuoka, and Joji Shimaki, and you can't help but feel the passage of time. . However, the reason why the film does not leave such an impression is probably because of the performances that gave their all and the director's direction, which captures the Osaka landscape with his unique visual sense, is still as good as ever.

Normally, we should be looking back at the achievements of these actors and directors, but I feel like not enough has been said about them, so in this article I would like to focus on a slightly different aspect.

Shooting in Kansai, where there were many restrictions