Rising Sun
“Rising Sun” is from the other sort of Michael Crichton story idea that deals with corporate corruption, without the high-concept science fiction. (Disclosure is the other one you’re probably familiar with.) I remember watching Philip Kaufman’s adaptation of this story of Japanese business on American soil with my mom in theatres, and I think one of the things I probably thought, at the time, was that I was starting to watch more adult fare. I really did not have a conventional moviewatching childhood- I would watch R-rated movies with my parents all the time, at least after I became a teenager. While the subject matter is adult in Kaufman’s film, however, this film is no more realistic than “Jurassic Park,” which also came out in the summer of 1993. It takes being an adult to really understand that.
I know a lot of the reviews of “Rising Sun” at the time focused on controversy about the film being racist in how it depicted Asian and Japanese culture, especially in how they do business. A big crux of the story here is a Japanese purchase of an American technological company, and the way Nakamoto behaves is pretty corrupt- using cameras to spy, and give them an advantage during negotiations, and, when a call girl is murdered at the boardroom table during a gala celebration, using advanced tech and influence to try and keep the case from impeding those negotiations; Crichton’s purpose was to deliver a commentary on the way corporations from other companies were being imperialist in their dealings on American soil in the form of a crime thriller, but I can understand why there was controversy. The narrative delivered here by Crichton, Kaufman, and co-screenwriter Michael Bakes certainly deals in a lot of negative stereotypes, especially in what Americans thought of Japanese business at the time.
Much of the film is seen in flashback, during an Internal Affairs investigation of Lt. Webster Smith (Wesley Snipes), who was put on the case of the murdered call girl, and teamed with Captain John Connor (Sean Connery), who was to act as a liaison between the LAPD and the Nakamoto Corporation. As the mystery unfolds, questions upon questions upon questions get raised, with Connor continually finding issue with what is going on. Why was Smith brought to the case? Would it have anything to do with ethics charges he and Lt. Graham (Harvey Keitel) have faced in the past? Why was Connor called in? Would he have any torn allegiances between his oath as an officer and his relationship with the head of Nakamoto? Why was the disc that was recording the boardroom changed out shortly after the murder, and can we trust what we see? Can the call girl’s boyfriend, Eddie (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa), be trusted? And what to make of a Senator’s (Ray Wise) “evolving” stance on the sale? Crichton knows how to build a solid mystery, and even if we feel like we can figure out what’s going on, Kaufman’s manages to keep it interesting throughout.
A big part of why “Rising Sun” is entertaining is because of the cast Kaufman has put together. Connery and Snipes make a good team. They don’t have the witty banter of Riggs and Murtaugh, but Connor brings an understanding of the game being played by the Japanese that he is able to impart on Smith. They also create a sense of knowing who these characters are, and how they look at the world, which is especially important when we see how there are questionable things in each one’s pasts that make their involvement in this case a tough pill for some, especially Keitel’s Graham, to swallow. I didn’t recognize Steve Buscemi at the time the film came out, but seeing him as a journalist who hounds Smith over accusations for taking a bribe, it makes all the sense in the world. As Eddie, Tagawa looks and acts shady, but we also see how he has respect for Connor, and grows to trust Smith. And Wise is always corrupt, isn’t he? (As Yoshida-san, Kaufman casts Mako, and he brings a gravity to the role that is important as the case goes on.) The other main character is Jingo, a woman with a great ability to restore images, and the performance by Tia Carrere is solid, and provides Smith a (potential) love interest, as well as someone with whom he can bond over shared prejudices they have experienced.
Watching “Rising Sun” again, it’s easy to see why I thought it might have been a gateway to more “adult” material as a teenager- the film practically begins with a sexual assault/murder- but it’s easier, now, to see this as little more than a slick studio thriller with a great cast, smart pedigree, that is more about entertainment than the social commentary Crichton was trying to deliver. That’s perfectly fine, but it also makes me less likely to watch it again in the future.
