Rising Sun

Tags

1990's, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Crime, Harvey Keitel, Kevin Anderson, Philip Kaufman, Ray Wise, Rising Sun, Sean Connery, Thriller, Tia Carrere, Wesley Snipes

Film Title

Rising Sun

Director

Philip Kaufman

Starring

• Sean Connery as Captain John Connor
• Wesley Snipes as Lt. Web Smith
• Harvey Keitel as Lt. Tom Graham
• Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Eddie Sakamura
• Tia Carrere as Jingo Asakuma
• Kevin Anderson as Bob Richmond
• Ray Wise as Senator John Morton

A compelling but provocative thriller, Rising Sun functions as something of a commentary on the corruption of big business and less than warm relations between East and West. It gets pretty confounding and confusing in stretches, but it retains interest thanks to visuals and good playing from leads Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes.

The setting is Los Angeles, primarily a large, sprawling building that is the place of business for a largely Japanese conglomerate. A party is underway as the company attempts to get a lucrative deal to go through, yet unexpected things will soon take precedence. A blonde escort by the name of Cheryl Austin is found strangled to death in the boardroom, which threatens to cause a scandal for the company. Assigned to the murder case is police detective Web Smith, who is a good enough guy with a few flaws in his past. Also assigned to assist is retired Captain John Connor, whose knowledge of all things Japanese will be beneficial when dealing with suspects within the company. Overseeing things is Smith’s former police partner Tom Graham, who has a vendetta against the Japanese and makes sure everyone knows it. Evidence seems to point towards Eddie Sakamura, a tempestuous playboy who Connor knows the businessman father of. But wise, old Connor suspects that there is a lot more complexity to the case than anyone expected and with his sharp and scrupulous mind, it’s not hard to see why. He is proven right as this turns out to be no open shut case. Both Connor and Smith, though completely opposite in approach, discover it may reach very high up the business ladder and threaten to expose people at the top. Yet just when they think they know what’s going on, something new puts a dangerous spin on things. Chief among these is a tape that could implicate the guilty party, if it wasn’t for tampering with the visuals that are discovered to be altered. The mismatched duo learns to work with each other and used their respective smarts to crack a most bewildering and twisting case.

Philip Kaufman, always a director with a keen eye for visuals, displays that here with stylish atmosphere apparent from the very beginning. He paints a world tinged with noir that is insidious and corrupt from almost every angle( complete with almost constant rain and darkness)  One of the biggest criticisms aimed at both the film and the book on  which it is based is that it bashes Japan and paints a harsh portrait of business. I can’t vouch for either of those accusations as my knowledge of both is pretty limited. But people who say that the Japanese are portrayed badly here, should look at some of the American characters too. Plenty of them are corrupt and nasty as some of those in the company so I can’t see much of a basis for negative slander here. I can see some parts that could be deemed offensive, but I think Kaufman manages to keep most of these at bay. There is a technological side to Rising Sun that looks a bit dated now, but is nonetheless quite intriguing to watch and observe. In this edgy take, images can be distorted and the blame game soon follows, much like old-fashioned movies with a contemporary twist. An atmospheric score provides the strange backdrop for the murder investigation that proves anything but straightforward due to the sense of culture clash at the heart of the matter. It is the attention to details, much like the character of Connor, that impressed me the most in Rising Sun. It does have moments of action, but like a good thriller the investigative parts are what holds the interest as layer upon layer of complexity builds higher. Now after some time Rising Sun does get just a little bit convoluted and confusing to follow, yet it doesn’t bore you as it keeps you watching despite the often overly complex plot. The relationship of Connor and Smith keeps you rooted in the film and is one of the best parts, thanks to the respect and level footing each find eventually with the other.

Sean Connery is one of Rising Sun’s biggest draws. Exuding an almost stately manner through the character’s knowledge of Japanese customs and a twinkling grin that suggest a wily personality, Connery imprints his stamp on the part of an intelligent man whose attention to detail is what drives the shocking case in front of him. He exudes an avuncular tendency towards his younger charge, close to that of master and apprentice. Connery shares a good working relationship with Wesley Snipes, with the two bouncing off each other with their differing approaches to the murder case. Wesley Snipes more than holds his own against the illustrious Connery; generating dedication and wise ass responses as he becomes more bewildered by the shifting investigation in front of him. Harvey Keitel is reliably on hand to play the vicious and intolerant detective who is more than willing to prosecute the wrong man purely out of hatred. A standout part comes courtesy of Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa. Playing the dissolute playboy who may have been taken for a ride and framed, he shows off both a charisma and fear that grows as the case tangles. As one of the only women in the movie, Tia Carrere provides sexiness and smarts as the computer expert who deduces that the tape that could reveal the criminal has been tampered with. Slimy tactics are the name of the game for both Kevin Anderson and Ray Wise as two men caught up in the corruption.

It may boggle the mind on occasion and some of it can become rather in your face, yet due to the good direction of Kaufman and acting from the lead, Rising Sun has its values as a serpentine thriller that is pretty slick.

Henry and June

Tags

1990's, Biographical Drama, Erotic Drama, Fred Ward, Henry and June, Kevin Spacey, Maria de Medeiros, Philip Kaufman, Richard E. Grant, Uma Thurman

Film Title

Henry and June

Director

Philip Kaufman

Starring

• Maria de Medeiros as Anaïs Nin
• Fred Ward as Henry Miller
• Uma Thurman as June Miller
• Richard E. Grant as Hugo
• Kevin Spacey as Osborn

Inspired by the diaries of Anaïs Nin, who documented in them her strange and intriguing relationships with author Henry Miller and his wife June, Henry and June’s casts a haunting spell and details the intense sexual encounters and impact all three had on each other.

Paris, in 1931. Anaïs Nin is an aspiring writer looking for something else. She is married to the good but somewhat dull and unenthusiastic Hugo, Anaïs craves excitement and adventure. These come knocking at her door in the form of writer Henry Miller, who is in Paris working on what would later become his first novel. Anaïs is intrigued by Henry and relates to his discussions of literacy and art. She begins to develop feelings for the boorish Henry and soon enough passion is ablaze. Also introduced into this is Henry’s bisexual wife June; a most alluring woman who begins to entrance Anaïs as well, despite her mercurial tendencies. Anaïs witnesses the temperamental relationship between the two and while she still loves her husband, the promise of a bohemian lifestyle with Henry and June is too tempting to resist. Her eyes are opened to sexual experience and her longings become very erotic as a result, culminating in an unusual love triangle with Henry and June. When the capricious June returns to America, she gives permission for the sexually blooming Anaïs to continue an affair with Henry. Anaïs continues to evolve and becomes immersed in a world of bohemian and sexual abandon with Henry, as she becomes one of the inspirations for his book(the other being June) and Anaïs does something similar with her writings. But Anaïs and Henry often disagree as the mix of sexual adventure and they critique each other’s work; much  in a similar way to how June used to criticise Henry’s work and how one of the characters is an unflattering portrait of her. Yet when June returns to Paris in typically difficult style, passions boil over as Anaïs and Henry must both contend with the fact that she forms the last point of the sexual triangle that could easily break due to the desires and passions everyone has that become complex.

As he is very much an iconoclastic director, Philip Kaufman is right at home directing something provocative and controversial like Henry and June. Kaufman clearly enjoys showcasing these complex characters and wastes no time in getting this across through expressionistic close-ups and silent era fade outs to signify the longings each of the three characters bears. While his direction is intelligent and well done, a minor flaw emerges when it comes to pace that can get grindingly slow. But with this being the only thing I can nitpick at, it’s more than safe to say that Henry and June is a success in its presentation of a dark and intense love triangle between three intriguing people. From doing research about the movie, it appears to have a big impact on the ratings system upon release as it became the first film to be certified NC-17. The rating signified that the film would have sexual content for adults only but was not given an X certificate that could have damaged people flocking to see it in theatres. And I can’t review Henry and June without talking about the sexual scenes as they are what makes up the core of the film. The scenes of a sexual nature are explicit to be sure, but they are not the stuff of skin flicks. Rather, these scenes are artfully shot and because they take basis from Anaïs’ diaries and expressions, have an intellectual, serious and observant quality to them that helps them stand out from mainstream sex scenes. I can see why they invented a new rating for this kind of film as it does deal heavily with sex, but is an artistic exploration of the three-way relationship, rather than a titillating one.By far one of the biggest draws that can be taken from Henry and June is the splendidly evocative cinematography. Bathing scenes in a sensual glow and tinged with a moody and melancholy feeling, it’s a truly marvellous visual style that really brings the passionate and most unusual story to stylish life. Coupled with the cinematography is the marvellous editing and jazz soundtrack, that helps the film gain something of a dreamlike and hypnotic impact that presses itself into the memory.

With her round eyes and elfin features that suggest a girlish innocence, Maria de Medeiros is extremely good at playing Anaïs Nin, who emerges as a passionate adventurer in all things erotic thanks to Henry and June. Maria de Medeiros is one of those people that the camera loves, but can also emote with a depth and subtlety, crafting Anaïs into a complex woman who has a core of observational passion and curiosity that consumes her little by little. I can’t picture anyone else playing Anaïs quite like de Medeiros, as she is simply marvellous in the role. Essaying the part of the controversial Henry Miller, Fred Ward plays him like a bear, full of vigour and unmissable shows of anger. Walking and talking like an old-fashioned gangster minus the Tommy gun, Ward invests Henry with a lust for life and an inability to sever himself from inevitable trouble, as it is too good to walk away from. Yet it is Uma Thurman who makes possibly the biggest and most memorable contribution to the film as one half of the titular couple. Playing so many different sides to June, from sensual and engaging, angry and bitter, tragic and unforgiving, Thurman doesn’t miss a beat and it says a lot when you miss her when she isn’t on screen. That’s a lot of clout to have and Uma Thurman makes her presence felt throughout, with her haunting presence and accent employed. Although he has probably the most thankless role of the film, Richard E. Grant does his best as the husband of Anaïs, who is safe and pleasing yet can’t quite provide the excitement that Anaïs craves. Also viewers should watch out for Kevin Spacey in a supporting role as the louche man who introduces Anaïs to Miller.

Visually splendid, well acted and benefiting from the intelligent direction of Philip Kaufman, as well as more than overcoming the sometimes overly languid pace, Henry and June is daringly adult cinema that knows how to be provocative and artistic in equal measures.