Don't we all love when a film gets too much studio interference? Well, Showdown in Little Tokyo is one example. Released in 1991, Showdown in Little Tokyo was so despised by Warner Bros. That the original cut of the film (which ran at 90 minutes) was cut to 79 minutes. The film was directed and produced by Mark L. Lester (Commando) and stars Dolph Lundgren (Masters of the Universe) and the late Brandon Lee (The Crow). The film upon had a very limited release due to Warner Bros. Hating this film so much and only made over $2 million. But when Brandon Lee tragically died in 1993, this film's rental sales skyrocketed.
Chris Kenner (Dolph Lundgren) was orphaned at a young age while being raised in Japan. Johnny Murata (Brandon Lee) is a valley dude. Both are cops and they must team together to take down the Yakuza and rescue a beautiful woman.
It is really a shame how this film was cut due to Warner Bros. Not liking this film. Due to this film's length, the film is fairly fast paced and it seems we get an action scene every other scene. The action is loads of fun to watch and it really helps that Dolph Lundgren is a martial artist and Brandon Lee is the son of Bruce Lee who is one of the greatest martial artists of all time. We get to see some ass kicking action. Mark L. Lester is also the guy who directed Commando and this is another film by him that has some great action scenes all around. I don't know why, but it seems that every form of media involving the Yakuza (Grand Theft Auto series and even Dolph Lundgren's The Punisher) is just so interesting. Maybe because they are so badass and menacing. The same can be said of the Yakuza portrayed in this film. The main villain here is very cold and ruthless and just plain menacing. The actor portraying him does a fantastic job as well. The acting all around is fine. Dolph Lundgren does a good job and oddly enough, I always just assumed he was not very good at acting but now I realize that he actually is talented in what he does. Brandon Lee has some odd line deliveries in my opinion but perhaps it fits the "valley dude" character. And yes, I find it racially insensitive that you have a man of Chinese descent portraying a character of Japanese descent The bromance between the two characters is fairly evident, if not more than just a cop partnership. There is some overall great humor and some great lines that I will certainly remember and if I do not, well that is what repeat viewings are for. The film has a cool kick ass soundtrack that accompanies this fast paced action film. Oh, and see if you can find the church from Prince of Darkness. Quite funny actually.....
By no means a perfect film, Showdown in Little Tokyo still manages to be a fun little B action movie despite it's short run time.
