Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991) Review

Showdown in Little Tokyo is one of those action films that you can watch over and over again without getting bored. It was released in 1991 and was directed by Mark L. Lester. The film is only 79 minutes long but it’s packed full of old-school action. You get a brilliant buddy cop duo with Dolph Lundgren and Brandon Lee, some brutal fight scenes and plenty of shooting. It knows exactly what it wants to be and doesn’t waste any time.

Dolph plays Chris Kenner, a detective in Los Angeles who grew up in Japan. He is investigating a ruthless Yakuza group led by Yoshida (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa). He is partnered with a younger detective named Johnny Murata (Brandon Lee). During the investigation Chris finds out that Yoshida is linked to a traumatic event in his past.

A huge part of this film is the chemistry between Lundgren and Lee. Chris is a tough old-school fighter who has a strong connection to Japanese culture but is also a renegade. Johnny is a more relaxed character and is very humorous. Whilst Johnny could be seen as the more traditional detective, the two compliment each other perfectly. Lee provides a lot of humour and charm whilst Lundgren provides a tough look. This is a classic buddy cop movie but with such entertaining leads this had potential to be a great franchise.

The action is another massive highlight of the film. It gets straight into it with the opening scene, Chris crashes through a window into an illegal gambling den and starts wrecking everything in sight. featuring a samurai sword and some pretty bloody beheading. This is a great opening to introduce Lundgren’s character and his first meeting with Johnny. They have a short fight which shows off their martial arts skills. Before they are both shot at.

Throughout the film there is a great mix of shooting, martial arts and ridiculous displays of strength. Lundgren is basically a human tank and throws people around like ragdolls. He even punches through a wall to pull an unfortunate enemy through. There is also a car scene which adds to the madness. The fight in the bathhouse is another highlight of the film. It provides the tough action you would expect with these two in the film. There is some surprisingly brutal violence throughout and the film does get quite dark and mature, especially during Minako’s storyline.

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is brilliant in this film as Yoshida. He is one of those actors who can play a genuine scary villain or a memorable good guy with ease. He has a very distinctive presence on screen. I enjoyed his appearance with Lundgren in Bridge of Dragons but he is very effective as a ruthless crime boss. The backstory between Yoshida and Chris adds some extra weight to the simple revenge plot. Everything comes full circle during their sword fight. This is a brilliant ending and wraps their story up nicely.

Tia Carrere is good as Minako. She is caught up in Yoshida’s violent world. This adds a darker element to the film. When Chris comes to save her it reminds you how dangerous Yoshida and his group really are.

This film is only 79 minutes long so there is no filler. There isn’t a complicated plot and there is plenty of action. It’s a simple revenge thriller but wrapped up in a buddy cop film. Everything fits together perfectly. The martial arts are brilliant, the shooting is satisfying and the two leads work well together. It’s a shame we never got to see them team up again.

I originally found this film thinking it was some how a sequel to Big Trouble in Little China. I couldn’t have been more wrong but I’m glad I got this gem. As a huge fan of Dolph Lundgren I probably would have found it eventually but it has become a favourite.

Over thirty years later this film is still brilliant. Like Commando it’s one of those action films you can watch anytime you want some real old-school action and you know you will have a great time. Whilst it doesn’t do anything new it doesn’t need to. With two brilliant leads, a memorable villain, brutal action and a brilliant ending this is a brilliant example of what made the early 90’s action films so much fun to watch.