Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Brutal
- gritty
- propulsive
- neon-lit
- action movie night
- 1980s movie marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly admired the film's striking Ridley Scott visual style, Osaka atmosphere, and action craft while finding its conventional, implausible story and cultural stereotypes limiting.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Ridley Scott, Jan de Bont, and Norris Spencer create a highly stylized Osaka of neon, rain, industrial spaces, and dense urban spectacle while critics repeatedly described the film as driven more by atmosphere than story.
New York cop Nick Conklin must pursue Sato in Osaka while adapting to Japanese police procedures, yakuza hierarchies, and Masahiro's contrasting methods.
Nick Conklin is presented as a bent and morally compromised police officer whose personal stakes and methods blur the boundary between justice and criminal behavior.
Nick Conklin and Charlie Vincent are assigned together to escort Sato and later pursue him through Osaka's organized-crime scene.
Films like Black Rain, and why
To Live and Die in L.A.
stylish neo-noir crime thriller with morally compromised law enforcement and a visually heightened urban underworld
Lethal Weapon 2
cross-cultural buddy-cop action, organized crime, and culture clash shaped by muscular 1980s genre conventions
The French Connection
hardboiled police procedural driven by gang conflict, atmospheric city filmmaking, and escalating action
Year of the Dragon
Movie Details
- Director
- Ridley Scott
- Release Date
- 1989-09-22
- Runtime
- 125 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (1298)
Cast
- Michael Douglas
- Andy Garcia
- Ken Takakura
- Kate Capshaw
- Yūsaku Matsuda
- Shigeru Kōyama
- John Spencer
- Yuya Uchida
- Guts Ishimatsu
- Tomisaburō Wakayama
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- MGM Plus
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Black Rain about?
- Two New York detectives enter Osaka's yakuza underworld and must abandon familiar rules to bring an escaped killer to justice.
- What is Black Rain like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Black Rain as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Black Rain violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Black Rain as brutal.
- What did critics think of Black Rain?
- Critics broadly admired the film's striking Ridley Scott visual style, Osaka atmosphere, and action craft while finding its conventional, implausible story and cultural stereotypes limiting.
- Which films are like Black Rain?
- Films with a similar feel include To Live and Die in L.A., Lethal Weapon 2, The French Connection, and Year of the Dragon.
- How long is Black Rain?
- Black Rain runs 125 minutes.
- Where can I watch Black Rain?
- In United States, Black Rain streams on MGM Plus.
