Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- tense
- paranoid
- glossy
- crime thriller night
- 1990s movie marathon
What critics said
Critics found the film a competently mounted but convoluted and often bland adaptation whose cultural politics proved troubling.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The murder investigation unfolds inside a powerful Japanese corporation while characters debate Japanese economic influence in Los Angeles.
Web Smith and John Connor encounter conflicting explanations and a coordinated effort to obscure the circumstances of the woman's death.
The film's depiction of Japanese corporate power and Asian characters prompted protests that it demonized Asian people.
The investigation moves through offices, restaurants, parking structures, and party spaces where wealth and surveillance create an ominous urban backdrop.
Films like Rising Sun, and why
L.A. Confidential
police investigation, institutional corruption, racial tension, and a conspiracy-driven thriller structure
The Pelican Brief
1990s urban crime thriller with police detectives, murder investigation, corruption, and morally compromised institutions
The Firm
corporate conspiracy, cross-cultural anxiety, and a murder mystery rendered as a tense mainstream thriller
Presumed Innocent
stylized police procedural centered on corruption, hidden agendas, and escalating investigative danger
Movie Details
- Director
- Philip Kaufman
- Release Date
- 1993-07-30
- Runtime
- 129 min
- Rating
- 6.2 / 10 (869)
Cast
- Sean Connery
- Wesley Snipes
- Tia Carrere
- Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
- Harvey Keitel
- Mako
- Stan Egi
- Kevin Anderson
- Clyde Kusatsu
- Ray Wise
Where to watch in United States
- 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 Rising Sun about?
- A Los Angeles detective and a Japanese-affairs expert uncover a dangerous corporate conspiracy behind a suspicious death.
- What is Rising Sun like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Rising Sun as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Rising Sun violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Rising Sun as moderate.
- What did critics think of Rising Sun?
- Critics found the film a competently mounted but convoluted and often bland adaptation whose cultural politics proved troubling.
- Which films are like Rising Sun?
- Films with a similar feel include L.A. Confidential, The Pelican Brief, The Firm, and Presumed Innocent.
- How long is Rising Sun?
- Rising Sun runs 129 minutes.
- Where can I watch Rising Sun?
- In United States, Rising Sun is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
