Showdown in Little Tokyo

"One's a warrior. One's a wise guy. They're two L.A. cops going after a gang of drug lords. Feet first."

1991 1h 19m EN

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 567

ActionComedyCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

An American with a Japanese upbringing, Chris Kenner is a police officer assigned to the Little Tokyo section of Los Angeles. Kenner is partnered with Johnny Murata, a Japanese-American who isn't in touch with his roots. Despite their differences, both men excel at martial arts, and utilize their formidable skills when they go up against Yoshida, a vicious yakuza drug dealer with ties to Kenner's past.

“One's a warrior. One's a wise guy. They're two L.A. cops going after a gang of drug lords. Feet first.”

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Cast

Dolph Lundgren
Detective Kenner
Brandon Lee
Johnny Murata
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
Yoshida
Tia Carrere
Minako
Toshishiro Obata
Sato
Philip Tan
Tanaka
Rodney Kageyama
Eddie
Ernie Lively
Detective Nelson

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Mark L. Lester
Writers: Stephen Glantz, Caliope Brattlestreet, Peter Mitchell
Languages: Japanese, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 79-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 28% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

35 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Japanese, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

226+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Mark L. Lester, shot by Mark Irwin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by David Michael Frank. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Michael Eliot shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Mark L. Lester directs. Mark Irwin behind the camera. David Michael Frank scores. Michael Eliot cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Japanese, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 79-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
2Earned back only 28% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
335 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Japanese, English.
5226+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
6Directed by Mark L. Lester, shot by Mark Irwin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by David Michael Frank. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Michael Eliot shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Dolph Lundgren and Brandon Lee and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "One's a warrior. One's a wise guy. They're two L.A. cops going after a gang of drug lords. Feet first.".
11IMDB entry: tt0102915 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Mark Irwin
Original score: David Michael Frank
Editing: Michael Eliot
Production design: Craig Stearns
Costume design: Robyn Williams
Makeup / hair: Jeri Baker
Sound: Mike Le Mare
Stunt coordinator: Terry Leonard
Runtime: 79 min · 1h 19m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $8,000,000
Box office: $2,275,557
Return: 28% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991)

Also by

Mark L. Lester

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2015-06-21
★ 5/10
We've got a problem here. There are more bad guys than we've got bullets. It's a buddy buddy action movie, one that feels more 80s than 90s, with that it has all the pluses and minuses that comes with such genre staples. Dolph Lundgren and Brandon Lee pair up to take on The Yakuza, Dolph has a very personal reason for tracking and killing the Yakuza leader. They are an odd pair who must get over their initial differences to complete their mission. Sound familiar? Well it is, because it can be seen in a whole host of other action buddy buddy movies. The acting is sub-standard but the action is well constructed, which at the end of the day is what action fans require for a rollicking good time. Some of the dialogue is too cheese worthy to even pass as acceptable - and this in a genre that often demands it as a requisite, while the overt homoerotic undercurrents are either meant as tongue in cheek? Or an attempt by the makers to make some sort of action movie statement? Is it fun? Absolutely, and that's not just because of the ridiculous trousers Lundgren often wears (seriously, a leather jacket and Oxford bags?), while the colour photography is sparkling (Mark Irwin), but you have to have a taste for corn and cheese to get the most from this host. 5/10
GenerationofSwine2023-01-11
★ 8/10
Yeeeeeahhhhh, this is a really horrible movie. I will not deny that. But, it's a still a really fun action movie. I mean, it is one of those cheap as hell action movies that studios used to make to pay for more expensive Oscar bait, and you never expect that much walking into them. The low expectations always help. But... it's fun. Like a lot of the really bad movies, it is fun. It takes itself just seriously enough that you suspend your disbelief, but no so serious it thinks it is something that it's not. And the result is entertainment. You remember that, entertainment, once upon a time that was the end goal of a movie. And this one ex-cells in that, it has nice action, a fun sense of humor, and knows when to dial it back.