Dans les griffes du dragon rouge

Surely the rating should be higher? This is one of the better Dolph Lundgren-takes-on-all-comers movies, and its got Brandon Lee godamnit!

Ok, so it gets predictable, but isnt that why action movies are so well loved? Its got enough of a storyline not to resemble Red Scorpion in any way, but only just little enough to make it a totally enjoyable flick. I mean, for 1991, what were you expecting? Considering that this was the director who brought us Commando, this is the ultimate in bloke films. If you want to clear the women away, put either one of these films on and enjoy a mens night in!

So its not Minority Report, its not The Shawshank Redemption but its redemption at its best, feet first!

Oh, and Tia Carrare in a hot tub. Gets it at least one point. ;)

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.

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.

Thrilling and moving film by Mark L. Lester with the ordinary ingredients such as non-stop action , thrills, romance , and crossfire . Two L. A. cops, Sgt. Chris Kenner (Dolph Lundgren) and Johnny Murata (Brandon Lee) with opposing views on what is the best way to uphold the law have to work together to bring down the Yakuza led by Funekei Yoshida (Gary-Hiroyuki Tagawa), while trying to protect a beautiful singer (Tia Carrere). The deadliest vice-kingpin under the Rising Sun has just come to the City of Angels...where two angels of death are about to make him wish he'd stayed in Japan. One's a warrior. One's a wiseguy. They're two Los Angeles cops going after Japan's top mobster...Feet first.

Acceptable and passable action film about the Japanese Yazuka and American cops with an agreeable main and support cast. In the motion picture there are fights , thriller, chases, crossfire and being interesting enough. The plot results to be a little routine concerning the typical buddy movie and the ending has the usual violent confrontation with high body-count . The famous martial arts champion and now veteran actor Dolph Lundgren (Univerasl Soldier, Blackjack, Rocky IV, The expendables saga) forms an attractive film couple with the late actor Brandon Lee. Both are the real protagonists of this action movie that mixes the total excitement of martial arts with the reality of a secret and powerful organization: the Japanese yakuza. The kicks , punches and jinks are high in this jolly as well as violent martial arts film . The fight scenes are splendid , and though Lee lacks the animal grace of his father Bruce or the comical skills of Jackie Chan, he has timing , charming and cheerful. Brandon Lee trained practiced various martial arts , such as Wing Chun, Muay Thai, Jeet Kune Do in preparation for his films. Lee hired Darryl Chan to train him for cosmetic impact in ¨Rapid Fire¨. Lee and Chan, also worked together in ¨Showdown in Little Tokyo¨. Being well starred by Brandon Lee , before the accidental gunshot wound from faulty prop revolver. Lee's first role in a feature film was "Legacy of Rage" (1986) for D. M. Films of Hong Kong, followed by a co-starring role in this ¨Showdown in Little Tokyo¨ (1991). He was also in ¨Rapid Fire¨ (1992), and ¨The Raven¨ (1994). He turned down offers to be in ¨Dragon, the Bruce Lee Story¨ (1993) stars Jason Scott Lee. Brandon died (while filming) at the age of 28, of what is to be believed, a brain hemorrhage on the set of ¨The Raven¨ (1994). A gun loaded with full power blanks and shot the scene, unaware that a bullet had become dislodged from a previous shot and had lodged itself in the barrel. Upon shooting of the scene the blank round forced the bullet out the barrel striking Brandon Lee. Dolph Lundgren and Brandon are well accompanied by a lot of familiar faces, such as : the usually baddie Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Tia Carrre, Philip Tan, Ernie Lively, Branscombe Richmond and brief appearance of Al Leong , an Asian American actor & stuntman has picked up a cult fan following based around his numerous appearances in high voltage action flicks from the mid-1980s onwards.

For quite some time, the so-called 'Yakuza films' have been considered a very popular genre in their native Japan, and some American films have also managed to portray this fascinating society of criminals, which is governed by its own codes of honor and revenge, among which is included the usual mutation of some finger on the hand. But what makes Little Tokyo different from others is that this is the first time that the Yakuza appears operating in a new territory, running riot: the United States. These film has got success enough, including the following: the best ¨The Yazuka¨ (1975) by Sidney Pollack with Robert Mitchum, ¨Black rain¨(1989) by Ridley Scott with Michael Douglas, ¨American Yakuza¨ (1993) by Frank Cappello with Viggo Mortensen, ¨No Way Back¨ (1995) by Frank Cappello with Russell Crowe.

The film was professionally written, produced and directed by MarK L. Lester though it has some flaws and gaps. Lester said that this film "takes a look at two cultures that constantly move towards each other". He's a cool director and producer-American World Pictures- of B movies , his greatest success was during the 80s, when he directed two big hits ¨Commando¨and ¨Class of 1984¨, adding other action films, such as: ¨Public enemies¨, ¨Double take¨, ¨Firestarter¨, ¨Extreme Justice¨, ¨The Base¨, ¨Pterodactyl¨, The ex¨, ¨Armed and dangerous¨, ¨The night of the running man¨ . Rating ¨Showdown in Little Tokio¨: 6/10. An entertaining action movie, essential and indispensable for Dolph Lundgren and Brandon Lee fans.

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.