Showdown in Little Tokyo

A hopelessly generic actioner, Showdown in Little Tokyo follows mismatched cops Chris Kenner (Dolph Lundgren) and Johnny Murata (Brandon Lee) as they team up to take down a vicious Yakuza boss (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa’s Funekei Yoshida) – with the task turning personal after Chris discovers that Yoshida murdered his parents decades earlier. It’s a solid premise that’s employed to consistently (and frustratingly) underwhelming effect by Mark L. Lester, as the movie lurches from one action sequence to the next with nary a thought of character development or a cohesive narrative. And while the majority of said action sequences possess a pleasingly over-the-top ’80s vibe, Showdown in Little Tokyo contains too few elements designed to keep things interesting and it is, as a result, impossible to work up any sympathy for the protagonists’ continuing endeavors. It doesn’t help, certainly, that there’s no real chemistry between the two leads, as both Lundgren and especially Lee deliver flat, unconvincing performances that exacerbate the movie’s less-than-engrossing feel. (Tagawa’s scenery-chewing turn as the broadly villainous bad guy remains a highlight, however.) The less-than-electrifying climax, violent as it may be, ultimately confirms Showdown in Little Tokyo‘s place as an almost total disappointment, with Lester perpetually unable to infuse the proceedings with the sort of energy and excitement that defined his earlier masterwork, Commando.

** out of ****