I was a teenager in the 90s, and I was super into my movies, but Rising Run is a movie that completely flew by my radar. I am sure I must have seen a trailer or some kind of advertising in one of my video stores, but I never watched this until now. This was actually a movie I completely forgot about, but I reviewed Congo recently, and while that is an action movie with deadly apes and Rising Son is a crime thriller, they do have a connection.
Where to Watch Rising Sun
Rising Sun was released on July 30, 1993. You can stream the film from a digital platform.
The Movie Review: Crichton’s Influence on Rising Sun
What is the connection? Well, Jurassic Park author, Michael Crichton, is the connection. Rising Sun is based on his book, which came out in 1992, so this movie was very quickly produced, with Michael Crichton serving as one of the people responsible for the script. Behind the camera, we have Philip Kaufman, who is probably best known as the director of the 1978 movie Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
Star-Studded Cast Brings Rising Sun to Life
In addition to a talented team behind the camera, Rising Sun has a fantastic cast. Wesley Snipes as an LA cop, Web Smith, and Sean Connery as a Japanese liaison officer, Captain John Conner, are our two leads. Snipes and Connery have great chemistry together, and I think that they bounce off each other really well. We also have Harvey Keitel, Ray Wise, and my ultimate 90s crush, Tia Carrere; heck, Steve Buscemi is even in this movie. Honestly, this cast is stacked!
First Impressions and Expectations
I went into this thinking that I was going to love it and that it was going to be a 90s gem that I missed as a teenager, but loved now. I so wanted to enjoy this, but this did not click with me. Hey, the premise is cool. In LA, an escort is strangled in a boardroom, and Smith and Connor are sent to investigate. What starts as a pretty open and shut case, thanks to some convenient security camera footage, ends up much more.
Twists, Turns, and Missed Potential
The problem for me was that the movie was trying way too hard to have all these twists and turns. I swear that the suspect is like three or four people deep, and the swerves feel like they are there just for the sake of it. The whole American and Japanese stuff with Sean Connery’s John Connor being the go-between sounds way more awesome and interesting than it actually is.
Final Thoughts on Rising Sun
Man, I kind of want to watch this again to give it another shot. There is so much in this movie that I feel I should like, and I was trying so hard to enjoy this. But if you are trying to force yourself to enjoy a movie, you know that something has to be missing. Despite the awesome cast, the cool setting, and Tia Carrere, this movie just did not work for me, and in all honesty, I am not sure I will ever come back to this and give it a second chance. I do wonder if I had seen this in the 90s, or at least closer to its release, if it would have clicked with me more?
