''Showdown in Little Tokyo'' is a 1991 American

buddy cop Buddy cop is a film and television genre with plots involving two people of very different and conflicting personalities who are forced to work together to solve a crime and/or defeat criminals, sometimes learning from each other in the process. ...

action film The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as D ...

directed by Mark L. Lester and starring

Dolph Lundgren Hans "Dolph" Lundgren (, ; born 3 November 1957) is a Swedish actor, filmmaker, and martial artist. Lundgren made his acting debut in 1985 with a cameo in the List of James Bond films, James Bond film ''A View to a Kill''. Also that year, he h ...

and

Brandon Lee Brandon Bruce Lee (February 1, 1965 – March 31, 1993) was an American actor. Establishing himself as a rising action star in the early 1990s, he landed what was to be his breakthrough role as Eric Draven in the supernatural superhero fi ...

; it was the latter's first American film role. The film was released in the United States on August 23, 1991 to poor reviews and was a financial failure. It gained a cult following among action fans especially for the chemistry between Lundgren and Lee.

Plot

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

cop Chris Kenner (

) is an American who was raised in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. He is given a new partner, Johnny Murata (

), an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

of partial Japanese descent. Kenner does not appreciate American culture, while Johnny does not like Japanese culture much. One thing they both enjoy are the martial arts, in which they are both experts. The two are assigned to L.A.'s Little Tokyo, where they break up some criminal activity in a Japanese restaurant, and an arrest is made. While Kenner and Johnny are questioning the suspect, Kenner notices that he has tattoos of the Iron Claw yakuza clan. This reminds him of when he was 9 years old and he witnessed his parents being killed by a member of the

yakuza , also known as , are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media (by request of the police) call them , while the yakuza call themselves . The English equivalent for the term ''yak ...

. Before Kenner or Murata can interrogate the suspect further, he kills himself in the interrogation room by breaking his own neck. The leader of the Iron Claw clan, Yoshida (

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (; born September 27, 1950) is a Japanese-American actor and producer. Often cast as villains, he is known for his film roles in: ''The Last Emperor'' (1987), the James Bond film ''Licence to Kill'' (1989), '' Showdown in Li ...

), kills the owner of a popular downtown

nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

called the Bonsai Club by crushing the owner, Tanaka (Philip Tan), in a car compactor. To celebrate gaining ownership of the Bonsai Club, Yoshida throws a party at his house with all of the club staff. Yoshida discovers that one of the girls at the party, Angel ( Renee Griffin), had warned Tanaka about Yoshida behind his back. Yoshida summons Angel to his office to question her about her loyalty, where she attempts to appease him by offering her body to him, but Yoshida instead drugs Angel and strips off her clothes before beheading her. When the coroner runs an analysis on Angel's body, it is revealed that the

methamphetamine Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug use, recreational or Performance-enhancing substance, performance-enhancing drug and less commonly as a secon ...

s in her system would have led to her death anyway. This discovery of drugs, together with the suspect having yakuza tattoos, prompts Kenner and Johnny to go to the Bonsai Club in search of information. There they meet Angel's close friend, lounge singer Minako Okeya (

Tia Carrere Althea Rae Duhinio Janairo (born January 2, 1967), known professionally as Tia Carrere (), is an American actress and singer who got her first big break as a regular on the daytime soap opera ''General Hospital''. Carrere played Cassandra Wong i ...

). Whilst talking with Minako, Kenner and Johnny are ambushed and taken to see the nightclub's owner and Kenner recognizes Yoshida as the man who killed his parents. Yoshida is now a drug manufacturer using a local brewery as his distribution center. He uses smaller gangs such as the

Hells Angels The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC) is an international outlaw motorcycle club founded in California whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells ...

Crips The Crips are a primarily African-American alliance of street gangs that are based in the coastal regions of Southern California. Founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1969, mainly by Raymond Washington and Stanley Williams, the Crips ...

and

Sureños ''Sureños'' (; Spanish language, Spanish for ''Southerners'')‍, also known as ''Southern United Raza'', ''Sur 13'' or ''Sureños X3'', are groups of loosely affiliated gangs that pay tribute to the Mexican Mafia while in Incarceration in the U ...

to peddle the drugs for him, in return for a percentage of the profit. Enraged, Kenner pulls his gun on Yoshida and almost kills him to avenge the death of his parents, but Johnny manages to defuse the situation and they both leave the nightclub. Later that night, Yoshida rapes and kidnaps Minako and holds her hostage in his home and vows to kill Kenner. Kenner and Johnny set out for Yoshida's heavily guarded home, where they rescue Minako. His pride wounded, Yoshida sends his men out to get Minako back. He has Kenner and Johnny captured, stripped topless and tortured by electrocution, however, the two manage to escape. They prepare for an assault on Yoshida's brewery, where they rescue Minako once again. They chase Yoshida down to a parade being held in the middle of the city, where he and Kenner engage in a modern day samurai-like sword duel. The fight ends with Kenner overpowering Yoshida and impaling him through the abdomen before throwing him into a giant spinning

Catherine wheel Catherine wheel may refer to: * Breaking wheel, an instrument of torturous execution originally associated with Catherine of Alexandria * Catherine wheel (firework), a firework that rotates when lit Arts and entertainment * Catherine Wheel (band) ...

firework display, which burns Yoshida alive before exploding and killing him. Kenner and Johnny are then hailed as heroes by the crowd as they escort Minako away from the scene.

Cast

as Sergeant Chris Kenner *

as Detective Johnny Murata *

as Funekei Yoshida (

Nihongo is the principal language of the Japonic language family spoken by the Japanese people. It has around 123 million speakers, primarily in Japan, the only country where it is the national language, and within the Japanese diaspora worldwide. ...

: 吉田船渓, ''Yoshida Funekei'') *

as Minako Okeya (

: 桶屋美奈子, ''Okeya Minako'') * Toshishirô Obata as Sato (

: 佐藤, ''Satō'') * Philip Tan as Tanaka (

: 田中, ''Tanaka'') *

Rodney Kageyama Rodney Masao Kageyama (November 1, 1941 – December 9, 2018) was an American stage, film and TV actor. He was a Nisei Japanese American (second-generation) and besides acting in Asian American theater groups, he was also a director and designe ...

as Eddie *

Ernie Lively Ernie Lively (born Ernest Wilson Brown Jr.; January 29, 1947 – June 3, 2021) was an American actor and acting coach, the adoptive father of actors Lori Lively, Jason Lively, and Robyn Lively, and father of actors Eric Lively and Blake Live ...

as Detective Nelson * Renee Griffin as Angel * Reid Asato as Muto (

: 武藤, ''Mutō'') *

Takayo Fischer Takayo Fischer (née Tsubouchi; born 1932) is an American stage, film and television actress, as well as voice-over actress. Personal life Fischer is the youngest of four daughters of Japanese immigrants Chukuro, a farm laborer, and Kinko Tsubo ...

as Mama Yamaguchi * Simon Rhee as Ito (

: 伊藤, ''Itō'') *

Vernee Watson-Johnson Vernee Christell Johnson (née Watson; born September 28, 1949) is an American actress, author, and acting coach. Watson-Johnson is known for her recurring roles as Vernajean Williams on '' Welcome Back, Kotter'' (1975–1979), as Viola "Vy" Smi ...

as Coroner Nonnie Russell * Lenny Imamura as Kickboxer #1 *

Roger Yuan Roger Winston Tzi-Chun Yuan (born January 25, 1961) is an American martial artist, stuntman, actor, and fight choreographer. Early life Yuan was born in Carbondale, Illinois, to Taiwanese parents Theresa and Joseph Yuan, who were in the United S ...

as Kickboxer #2 *

Gerald Okamura Gerald Okamura (born 1940) is an American actor, martial artist, and stuntman, known for appearing in numerous action films. He has acted in both mainstream blockbusters like ''Big Trouble in Little China'' and B-movies such as ''Samurai Cop''. ...

as Hegata *

Steve Park Stephen Brian Park (born August 23, 1967) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He won races in NASCAR's two top Northeast touring series ( Modified and K&N East) and all three national divisions (Truck, Busch, Cup Series ...

as Asian Cop #1 *

Jim Ishida James Susumu Ishida (born July 29, 1943) is a Japanese-American retired character actor who has had a role in various projects over the course of his over 30 years-long career in films and television. Jim Ishida portrayed T. Fujitsu, Marty McFl ...

as Asian Cop #2 * George Cheung as Henchman *

Nathan Jung Nathan Jung (November 29, 1946 – April 24, 2021) was an American actor and stuntman. Due to his height, he was usually cast in "heavy" or "enforcer" roles. Career Television Jung played the character of Genghis Khan on '' Star Trek: The Origin ...

as Bonsai Club Manager * Al Leong as Henchman *

James Lew James Jene Fae Lew (born September 6, 1952) is an American martial artist, stuntman, and actor. He has made 80 on-screen film and television appearances and 46 more as a stunt coordinator or stunt double. He won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outsta ...

as Henchman *

Branscombe Richmond Branscombe Richmond (born August 8, 1955) is an American character actor and stuntman. He is known for his starring role of Bobby Sixkiller on the American syndicated drama series, '' Renegade'' (1992–1997), and for his starring roles on the ...

as Man In Door * Jimmy Taenaka as Hardboy

Music

The film's soundtrack was released on CD and cassette on December 11, 1991. #Main Title #The Iron Claw #Brewery Battle #Noble Quest #Death And Dishonor #Private Moment #Slippery When Wet #Yakety Yakuza #Saving Minako #Kenner And Johnny #Brewery Bust #Haydn Seek #Little Tokyo #Heavy Metal Sushi #Into The Vat #Death And Disfiguration

Production

Lester says the film was taken over by the studio and recut without his involvement.

Reception

Box office

Warner Bros. was not happy with the film and re-edited it, only to give it a limited theatrical run in the United States,

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

(where it skipped

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

and

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

. Except for these markets, the film was released direct-to-video in 1992. In the US opening weekend, the film grossed $455,192 from 140 theaters which was an average of $3,251 per theater. This accounted for 20% of the film's total gross. It ranked #9 in Hungary's Top 10 of 1992 Overall Box Office Grosses (according to the 1994 ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

International Film Guide''), grossing $197,590 in Hungary. After Brandon Lee's untimely death while filming ''

The Crow ''The Crow'' is a supernatural superhero comic book series created by James O'Barr revolving around the titular character of the same name. The series, which was originally created by O'Barr as a means of dealing with the death of his fianc� ...

'' (1994), movies with Lee in leading roles, such as ''Showdown in Little Tokyo,'' saw a surge in video sales. The film became a cult classic among action fans after its release. Director Mark L. Lester said: “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.“ Brandon Lee was also very fond of the movie: "I didn't have a lot of input into it. It was really just a job for me but it was a good experience".

Critical response

The movie faced largely negative reviews from critics. Vincent Canby of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' described it as "violent, but spiritless." It holds a rating of 33% on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

based on 9 reviews, with an average score of 4.3/10.

Later reviews

Upon its 2015

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

release,

DVD Talk DVD Talk is a home video news and review website launched in 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman. History Kleinman founded the site in January 1999 in Beaverton, Oregon. Besides news and reviews, it features information on hidden DVD features known as ...

reviewer Ian Jane wrote that it was a shallow but highly enjoyable action film of its time. He found it fast paced, action packed, and funny. He felt it had good photography, nice locations, and that Brandon Lee shined in his role. Contemporary critic Chris Coffel of

Bloody Disgusting Bloody Disgusting is an American independent multi-media company, which began as a horror genre-focused news website specializing in information services that covered various horror media. The company expanded into other media including podcast ...

praised it for being a well-made action film of its time, and that both leads delivered their roles well. He also praised the lead villain

. Finally he felt the movie fell flat on the humorous side of things, but was great fun for its genre. On

JoBlo.com JoBlo.com is an anchor website of the JoBlo Movie Network focused on news, film reviews, and film trailers. The network has YouTube channels that focus on trailers, movie clips, celebrity interviews, original content, and film distribution. H ...

, writer Chris Bumbray considers it to be an underrated gem and a cult classic. He thinks that Lee steals the show from Lundgren and that the film showcases the range of the early departed actor. His final thought was that it was a fun B actioner.

References

External links

* * *
Dolph - the ultimate guide
{{DEFAULTSORT:Showdown In Little Tokyo 1991 films 1991 action films 1991 martial arts films 1990s American films 1990s buddy cop films 1990s English-language films 1990s police procedural films American action films American buddy cop films American martial arts films American police detective films Films about Japanese Americans Films directed by Mark L. Lester Films scored by David Michael Frank Films set in Los Angeles Films shot in California Japan in non-Japanese culture American rape and revenge films Warner Bros. films Yakuza films English-language crime films English-language action films English-language thriller films English-language buddy comedy films