Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991) User Reviews

A classic!

[Antagonisten · 7/10 · 15 February 2005]

This is one of the action-movies i grew up with. Seeing it again on TV just brings back a lot of memories. And actually the movie itself is not all crap either! Kenner (Lundgren) and Murata (Lee) both have trouble keeping their partners. Now they team up together to fight the Yakuza in Los Angeles.

Buddy cop pictures are not the most uncommon movies to say the least. But this is a movie that has it all. Campy acting, the worst one-liners ever, nicely choreographed fighting, evil Asians and heroes that are always on each others case. Not to mention the super-evil villain played here by the legendary Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa who should be quite used to these kinds of roles by now.

So, this is not exactly quality and it's not exactly good. But still it contains all the elements that made it an instant classic when i saw it for the first time. Half-naked women, cool heroes and loads of action. So the rating is based more on the memories than the actual movie. But for me this will always be a 7/10.

Fun Actioner

[maple_leafs_kickass · 7/10 · 20 May 2006]

It's not the best action movie or one of the top movies of the 90's or anything like that but hey, its a fun flick starring the macho Dolph Lundgren and the late great Brandon Lee.

They basically play two LA cops working on a case in LA's Little Tokyo involving Drug Lords that were linked to Lundgren's past. Dolph and Brandon give great kung fu performances as they utilize their martial arts skills and beat some serious crap outta the drug lords. Especially with the sword fight at the end end between Lundgren and the head drug lord.

The script is pretty cheesy though and the story not very original and I could name a bunch of things that aren't too realistic about this picture but the fun never lets up and their are some good one liners. Just as long as you don't take it serious its a good old fashion B-Movie martial arts flick.

Give it a break!

[Empire-7 · 17 May 2001]

Reading some of these comments, it occurred to me no one seems to know how to have fun anymore. This movie is not meant to be a great movie. I don't think any of the actors had intention of trying for an oscar. It's simply a fun movie. The action sequences are pretty cool and the one liners are hysterical. Dolph Lundgren and Brandon Lee are a great action pair. The chemistry between them is amazing. If you just want to watch a movie that's going to make you laugh, and get some good action with it, I highly recommend Showdown.

Very good movie.

[wkozak221 · 7/10 · 6 October 2020]

I like this movie. The interaction between Brandon and Dolph is very good. It is fun to watch 2 martial artists performing excellent moves. The only 2 problems I have are: 1. Some of the dialogue about male anatomy. I am not a prude but could have substituted other dialogue. 2. Dolph praising the Japanese every which way. Annoying!

Reminiscent of an 80's porn film.

[princessjasmin89 · 5/10 · 30 December 2006]

I give this movie a 5 for entertainment value.. This is the worst acting i have ever seen in a movie.. It contained humorous script and bad directing..

The main female character Minako is raped/"irredeemably betrayed" by her 'owner' and feels it necessary to commit suicide.. yet in the following scenes she strips down nude and jumps in a hot tub with a guy she has only just met.. yes, he WAS her knight in shining armour, but come on! THEN she pursues a sexual relationship with him, and the camera displays her as the 'dominate' one. The 'betrayal' doesn't appear to be affecting her in the slightest.

I feel sorry for the Johnny character, he appears to be second best or third wheel throughout the movie. The main villain has a scar in his left cheek.. of which looks better every time it is seen throughout the film. Continuity seems to be an issue.

As much as this film has bad taste bad acting and bad script, it was quite entertaining for myself, as a viewer, due to the above facts. The unintentional humour is what made me watch through to the end, and possibly even again on a day i need some cheering up.

All in all it was not bad for the era it was filmed in. Cheers.

What's The Problem?

[mvilla · 8/10 · 11 February 2001]

People seem to be awful hard on this movie. I guess they must not be action fans. I mean, come on, this movie's only purpose is to entertain. And it does its job well. It moves at a very fast pace for its short 79 minutes, has lots of good action, and a good sense of humor. What more could you ask for in an action movie. I don't know about you,but thats all I ask for in a action movie. Its not art and its not supposed to be. 3 out of 4 stars.

Fun movie

[d-ramseeey · 9/10 · 3 December 2018]

Why is everybody so serious? This is meant to be a fun movie.. i loved it personally. Great action and good acting.

B-grade action classic

[AwesomeWolf · 7/10 · 18 November 2004]

I fail to understand how people can not like this movie. It has Dolph Lundgren AND Brandon Lee AND yakuza AND was directed by Mark L. Lester (the director of the Arnie classic 'Commando'). What more do you want? Maybe some people want more plot and acting, but these are the probably the same people I was talking about in my review of Van Damme's 'Cyborg'.

Dolph plays Detective Kenner, a very angry cop who has a tendency to beat up any yakuza in sight, coincidentally alienating all of his partners until his forced to pair up with Johnny Murata (the late, great Brandon Lee), and the two go around kicking yakuza-arse together. The yakuza are running drugs, and the head-honcho Yoshida (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa), just happened to be the man who murdered Kenner's parents.

So maybe the plot is weak, and the acting not much better, but who cares when Dolph and Brandon are kicking arse, and leaving a high body count behind them? Good action scenes, and some great one-liners from Brandon Lee, granted none of them are as classic as Arnie's "remember when I said I'd kill you last? I lied!" from 'Commando'. At less than 80 minutes, it doesn't get boring and provides an effective way of killing some time.

Of course, its only for true action fans (and if you don't like Dolph Lundgren, you are not a true action fan).

7/10

A lesson in bad movie making

[Mr. Loew · 1/10 · 14 October 1999]

I am a true fan of action films. A movie can be a thrill without a great story or cast. But this movie is one of the worst I have ever seen. Even if you turn off your mind, it still sucks.

Here is why: The film has no story, just a lot of sex and violence scenes added together. The action scenes are miserable, with ridiculous fight-scenes. There are no real acting - just two guys trying to be SO cool, and a bunch of bad guy-wannabes and bimboes. Another annoying thing is all the stupid editing mistakes. In one scene they zoom in on a "screaming" dummy, and the doubles are never close to resemble their characters. All the laughable one-liners makes it as bad as a movie can get.

This movie is just another terrible excuse for showing sex and violence. Who can possibly enjoy watching these crappy movies? The makers should be ashamed of themselves...

Cult classic starring Dolph and Brandon

[abentenjo · 14 April 2002]

Macho B-movie madness at its sublime best, this crazy action quickie is about as braindead as you can get: wooden acting, a terrible story and a script that truly sucks. But with all the mindless violence on offer who really cares. Gun battles, martial arts, Samurai sword slashing and gory deaths are the order of the day, not to mention plenty of beautiful ladies treated like playthings and shedding clothes at every opportunity. Despite the tits and guns, there is some kind of story: Kenner (Lundgren) is on a mission of vengeance. His parents were killed when he was ickle by crazy Yakuza thug Yoshida (Tagawa), an ice-cool super-villain now specialising in drug dealing and generally looking mean. Kenner, adept in the Samurai ways, grows to be a law-abiding copper who's now right on his tail. Male bonding ensues when policeman Johnny Murata (Lee, in his US debut), a hip-talking dude with street credentials, is assigned as Kenner's partner in crime, and all hell simply breaks loose. You could say that there's an artistic angle to all this fighting, shooting and banging, but then that would be a lie - Showdown in Little Tokyo is a classic in a completely different sense of the word.

Solid action

[dworldeater · 7/10 · 21 March 2019]

Showdown In Little Tokyo is an action packed, buddy cop Yakuza karate/action flick starring Dolf Lundgren and Brandon Lee. Commando director Mark L Lester keeps it fast and loose with lots of gunplay, martial arts and funny one liners. If you are not a fan of action movies, it is doubtful Showdown In Little Tokyo will win you over, but for the genre, this is pretty solid, moves at a quick pace with tongue firmly planted in cheek. Dolf and Brandon made a good team and watching movies like this really makes me miss the 80's and the early 90'S.

Tight little "Showdown," though not much else

[dee.reid · 6/10 · 22 January 2021]

In the post-"48 Hrs."/post-"Lethal Weapon" era of the countless Hollywood "buddy" movies made in the 1980s and 1990s, the Mark L. Lester-directed "Showdown in Little Tokyo" popped up on the scene in 1991. While mostly remembered now by cult movie aficionados, the movie unfortunately never really rises above its "buddy" movie trappings, but it does have one thing going for it - and that is the believable chemistry between its two stars, which also marks one of the earliest unions of East and West (a la, the later "Rush Hour" series that starred Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker).

Of course, "Showdown" stars Dolph Lundgren (of "Rocky IV" and "Masters of the Universe") and the late Brandon Lee (son of deceased martial arts legend Bruce Lee, in his first American film role). Lundgren plays Sergeant Chris Kenner, a rule-breaking LAPD cop steeped in Eastern traditions and with a personal vendetta against the Yakuza (Japanese mafia). Lee plays Johnny Murata, a wise-cracking, half-Japanese "Valley kid" who is about as American as they come.

Once partnered up, they don't like each other and have conflicting viewpoints of catching bad guys. But the one thing that they both know how to do, and do well, is kick butt, and their lethal martial arts skills come in handy when they square off against the Iron Claw Yakuza Clan, who are led by the bloodthirsty Yoshida (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa), and they must also protect Minako (Tia Carrere), the beautiful nightclub singer who knows some important information about the Yakuza that will help their case.

As stated earlier, "Showdown in Little Tokyo" never really rises above its genre conventions, but the teaming of the towering Dolph Lundgren with the lithe and agile Brandon Lee was an inspired on-screen match-up. And all-purpose bad guy Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa makes for an imposing adversary. Most of the script's one-liners are either hit-or-miss, but the film's requisite action scenes are nicely filmed and choreographed.

At a brisk 79 minutes, "Showdown in Little Tokyo" is an enjoyable little martial arts action-comedy, but not much else. It's pretty good for an afternoon when you don't have much going on and basically have an hour-and-a-half to kill.

You most likely won't regret it.

6/10

Taking On the Yakuza

[OMTR · 6/10 · 9 April 2021]

Interesting buddy cop action movie starring Dolph Lundgren and Brandon Lee, the son of Bruce Lee.

The film respects Japanese culture and takes on the Mafia-like criminal organization of the Yakuza in L. A.'s Little Tokyo.

6.3/10.

Brokeback in Little Tokyo...

[fmarkland32 · 5/10 · 22 May 2006]

Two mismatched L.A cops do battle with Japanese thugs who are planning on taking over the drug market. Although one of the cops has a personal score to settle involving a family vendetta. (His parents were killed in their sleep.) all the while lots of bullets and karate chops are laid out. This is not the type of movie you'd expect to see from the son of Bruce Lee, but Brandon Lee manages to throw a few kicks and play sidekick to Dolph Lundgren. The reason this movie works so well, is because of it's utter ridiculousness. Lundgren who weighs at least 250 pounds is able to jump over cars, turn over cars as if he was lifting a stereo and beats up three guys with a tea cup in his hand. Even funnier is that both Lundgren and Lee are too affectionate towards each other. For instance Lee even admits "Despite myself, I like you." One was okay to brush this off but then Lee told Lundgren he had the biggest member he had ever seen on a man, indicating he's seen enough members to know Lundgren has the biggest. Indeed. This is all probably on accident but it does make the carnage more enjoyable. And any movie that follows up a guy getting crushed in his car with a sex and decapitation can't be too unwatchable.

* * out of 4 (Fair)

Lungren rules

[Timofey1980 · 10/10 · 3 August 2021]

For hundreds of years, the Japanese Yakuza mafia terrorized their country. Now it has appeared in Los Angeles: in the Little Tokyo area, a trade in a new powerful drug is organized. However, the leaders of organized crime will have to face equal rivals here. Two super-policemen start hunting them.

One is an American who grew up in Japan; his parents were killed there. He has the spirit of a samurai and the body of a killing machine. The second is a Japanese man who grew up in California. He loves pizza and MTV, but can neutralize five enemies armed with "guns" with one bare heel. The partners are not at all similar, but together they will wash away a lot of intricate tattoos from the streets of the City of Angels.

There will be a place in the film not only for fights, shootings and explosions, but also... love: after all, the servants of the law will still have to protect a witness who can testify against the leader of the Yakuza...

Copping a beating Eastern style.

[lost-in-limbo · 6/10 · 17 May 2008]

You want senseless? You got it. From the get-go director Mark L. Lester is the one calling the shots in a systematic screenplay, which piles on the crackerjack action set-pieces one after another in a very stagy fashion. It's a no-brainer in the form of the glorious 'Commando (1985)' that Lester directed too. Like 'Commando' I've seen this one quite a bit and the undemanding fun never seem to wear off. You don't stop to think, but just go with the turbulent pace, brutal violence and busy framework. As thinking too long and hard (especially on that doggy script… yeah it has some whoppers), will just stop you from enjoying this dumb and noisy piece. Really just looking at it you should know what you're getting yourself into in the first place. I was actually surprised to see the IMDb rating being that high.

The b-grade story is an unimaginative personal vendetta that combines it with the buddy craze and ends up with ludicrous results. Real short on substance and logic… ah really there's a lack of it. Choppy editing doesn't help either. Acting-wise its sub-par. Dolph Lundgren does wants needed of him. A confidently lively Brandon Lee has the charisma, but here he feels more like a comical side-kick with those smearing wise-cracks. The chemistry between the two is odd. Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa's sadistically snarling bad-guy performance fits and Tia Carrere is there to look all ravishing as the scarlet in distress. Lester doesn't let it hang about and throws in a large quota on edge violence and flesh along the way.

Pretty lame action flick that makes very little sense.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 4/10 · 29 November 2009]

Well, I couldn't even enjoyed this movie much for its cult values. It's a B-movie action-flick, by the director of "Commando", that is however far too lame and silly to consider it a good B-movie with enough entertainment value in it.

It's an '90's flick but foremost the movie should remind of an '80's action movie, when these type of B-movies were at an all time high. These movies always went over-the-top and never paid much attention to its story or acting. It was all about blowing stuff up, big muscle heroes and bullets flying around. This movie has all of that ingredients in it but yet I really didn't liked watching this movie as much as I like watching some similar type of movies. Hard to say why really, since the story and acting and such are just as bad as would be the case in basically any other genre movie from the same era.

It's probably because the movie is being often far too silly. All these type of movies have its silly moments but this movie is just filled with it. The fighting, Dolph Lundgren running around shirtless, the characters, the story. It all just isn't very good because it's often just too lame for words. The story at times isn't even trying to make a bit sense and what's even the main plot-line of the overall movie? Its story is all over the place really and seems only to be written to create a movie out of with fighting sequences, gun fights and such. And those sequences aren't even much good to watch really. The moments are way too short and quite disappointing to watch really, from the man who brought us "Commando".

It's foremost a Dolph Lundgren, in which he gets to play the big action hero star, who kicks butt with seemingly relative ease, knows how to handle guns and other weapons and of course also gets the girl, played by Tia Carrere. This all also brings us one of the worst montage sequence in action movie history and also definitely one of the worst sex sequence I have seen in any movie really. Both are just too lame for words and just very poorly put together.

None of the characters work out really. The good guys are cops but they never seem to behave like one. They simply kill around without having to face responsibility to anyone and they are not very keen on making any arrest, or to inform anyone about their discoveries. Not even when they find out a big Japanese crime syndicate is trying to take over the streets of L.A. and a beer brewery is working as a cover for a drugs factory and large scale drugs smuggling. And also just think about it for a moment, what is Brandon Lee's overall purpose in the movie? The movie could had easily done without him and the girl as well.

Too silly, lame and simplistic and just not entertaining enough.

4/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Excellent Movie

[furiousneon · 10/10 · 15 April 2003]

Dolph Lundgren and Brandon Lee make a unique team. The movie has plenty of action to satisfy action fans. The action and fight scenes are choreographed well. Brandon Lee is pretty funny, making lots of wise-cracks through out the film and Dolph gives a pretty good performance as a man looking for revenge. Great movie to check out especially if your a fan or brandons or dolphs and love action and martial arts!

Worst movie ever

[Tom B. · 1/10 · 13 April 2000]

I've seen worse movies. But none that were ostensibly attempting to capture the title of worst movie ever.

The dialogue, the acting, the action, the pacing, the limp nudity, the casting. This movie is so bad. Everyone must see it for themselves to know the horror.

Fun Martial Arts Action Film

[gjung01 · 26 December 2002]

"Showdown in Little Tokyo" is one of those B-movies that despite cheesy one liners and incredulous situations, is a lot of fun. The movie has a fast pace and Brandon Lee showed that he had screen prescence by stealing the show as a wise cracking Americanized, Asian American policeman joining Dolph Lundren's maverick cop who is well versed in the ancient ways of the Japanese Samurai.

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is excellent as the villain, Yashida and I have a sneaking supsicion that this was a fun film set. The writing is not the best but I enjoyed myself watching this movie when I discovered it by accident when visiting Westwood in 1991 and years later as I watched it on DVD with some friends.

Definitely check it out and don't think too hard and go with the flow, this is one guilty pleasure.

Nostalgia fixation.

[kengonzalez-89582 · 6/10 · 10 October 2018]

Made in the early 90s and shot in various parts of Asia Showdown in Little Tokyo is a nice martial arts-based action film starring the tragic Brandon Lee and Dolph Lundren. They make a nice pair and the charms of early 90s cinema, also found in films like Mortal kombat and Double Impact to name a few, are in spades here. Tia Carrera is gorgeous, and the direction flows nicely. In some ways I miss such simple premised movies which have all but disappeared today. Showdown in Little Tokyo isn't a masterpiece by any means, but it is a nice film to watch if you miss nostalgic early 90s movies.

Dolph Lundgren and Brandon Lee made a great on screen team in this martial arts action movie that fills the time.

[Cinemaniac1984 · 6/10 · 19 September 2021]

Showdown in Little Tokyo was a worthy martial arts action movie starring Dolph Lundgren and Brandon Lee. Though a box office flop and poorly received by critics as well as given a limited release by Warner Brothers, Showdown in Little Tokyo became popular on VHS and has since become a cult classic especially after the untimely death of Brandon Lee in 1993.

Los Angeles Police Detectives Chris Kenner (Dolph Lundgren) and Johnny Murata (Brandon Lee) team up to bring down the ruthless Yakuza drug kingpin Yoshida (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) who is running a drug ring and also rules Little Tokyo in Los Angeles. Yoshida is also responsible for the death of Kenner's parents many years ago. Kenner and Murata must also protect a witness named Minako (Tia Carrere) who has agreed to testify against Yoshido. Both Kenner and Murata are both proficient martial artists and won't stop tearing up the streets of Los Angeles to find Yoshida and to put an end to the drug ring.

Dolph Lundgren (Universal Soldier) and the late Brandon Lee (The Crow) made a great on screen duo, kicking butt and taking names. Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Mortal Kombat) made an enjoyable villain as the ruthless Yoshida. Tia Carrere (True Lies) was great as the attractive witness Minako who Kenner and Murata swore to protect. Director Mark L. Lester (Commando) keeps the action energetic amongst the straightforward plot.

At a running time of 79 minutes, the movie is full of mindless violent action with a non stop display of martial arts as well as frequent sex scenes and nudity. There's plenty of one liners with the now infamous homoerotic line from Brandon Lee to Dolph Lundgren, "Kenner, just in case we get killed, I wanted to tell you, you have the biggest d*** I've ever seen on a man".

Showdown in Little Tokyo is a fun way to fill in 79 minutes if you leave your brain at the door and not take it seriously. Fans of Dolph Lundgren and Brandon Lee will enjoy it.

6/10.

A Must See Action Classic

[diggler_inc · 10/10 · 26 April 2000]

This film is Great. I absolutely loved it.It is an action movie that doesn't take itself too seriously. It was made just for the sake to entertain people. Dolph Lundgren is at the top of his game in this film. Brandon Lee does a great job of playing Dolph's sidekick. The two make a terrific team. This is one of the best action movies to come out of the 90's.

Good action bad dialogue

[leonffe · 7/10 · 22 July 2022]

Why didn't the actors just say no to the dialogue. It was George Lucas on bad day bad. But the action is exactly what you would expect from two skilled martial artist. Whose idea was that Dolph lundgren should use katana two handed. It was way too small for him. Also the violence could've been more brutal because of all the nudity giving it super high rating.

It's Like One Of Those Video Games...You Just Defeated The First Wave

[dk777 · 8/10 · 9 January 2021]

Chaos, action, explosions and fun bad guys who look like they came out of a cartoon are what make this movie so much fun.

Dolph Lundgren and Brandon Lee are a fun duo that contributes to the atmosphere of the film and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is super fun as an evil villain. The plot is simple, the good guys clash with the bad ones and try to save the girl and clean up the city from crime along the way.

The action scenes are excellent, deliberately exaggerated and with a great deal of humor. The film has that unique spirit of that time and that's what makes it so much fun.

The bad guys are great, hilarious and outrageous. Yes, the characters are total caricatures and it works perfectly here, even giving the film an extra layer of humor.

From the very beginning, it is clear to us what kind of film this is, a film that does not take itself seriously and wants to fulfill the primary task of every film, and that is to entertain the viewer. And this is a film that certainly succeeds in that, no matter how many times you watch it, it's more and more fun every time. Guns, swords, vicious villains, constant action and plenty of humor.

Action scenes and violence are brutal and bloody, just the way they should be. When the shooting and swinging of swords starts, blood and body parts fly in all directions. An excellent combination of brutal action and humor.

Surprisingly entertaining action film with a dose of humor.