Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991)

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

"Showdown in Little Tokyo" manages to include wall to wall action during its brief running time. If it's a mixture of martial arts and gun play that you require, then you have come to the right place. Brandon Lee's career was just beginning to aspire to good things during the release of this movie in 1991. He should have progressed much further. His martial arts skills are put to good use as his speed and agility serve as a good counterbalance to the strength of Dolph Lundgren. The latter performs some impressive moves for a man of his size. The pace hardly lets up during the proceedings, it's a fast and furious ride!

Showdown in Little Tokyo is an incredibly nostalgia ridden film for me. Made in the early 90s and shot in various parts of Asia this is a nice martial arts-based action film starring the tragic Brandon Lee and Dolph Lundren. They make a nice pair and the charms of early 90s cinema, also found in films like Mortal kombat and Double Impact to name a few, are in spades here. Tia Carrera is gorgeous, and the direction flows nicely. In some ways I miss such simple premised movies which have all but disappeared today. Showdown in Little Tokyo isn't a masterpiece by any means, but it is a nice film to watch if you miss nostalgic early 90s movies.

Two cops have to work together to bring down the yakuza, while trying to protect a beautiful women. Showdown in Little Tokyo is a 1991 Action Film starring Dolph Lundgren, Brandon Lee, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa and Tia Carrere. The movie was directed by Mark L. Lester the man behind one of the most coolest action films ever made named "Commando" and just like that film this is another epic action movie with one liners, crazy action and a great chemistry between Lundgren and Lee plus Tagawa makes a terrific villain and the soundtrack is pretty cool too. The showdown between the 2 men is terrific and even tho is a 79 minute film it still moves very fast that you can't really tell. Overall this film has some Lethal Weapon, Red Heat and Tango and Cash vibes and it's definitely as good as those films that i mentioned plus Lundgren was a freaking beast back then and action fans won't be disappointed. (A+)

About eight years ago, I posted a different, rosier review of SHOWDOWN IN LITTLE TOKYO. I was new to the B-movie martial arts scene and it was the first Dolph Lundgren vehicle I had ever watched, leading to a very favorable analysis of the movie, but after viewing many subsequent offerings of the same subgenre, my impression has become more balanced and critical. SHOWDOWN IN LITTLE TOKYO is still a fun action outing and definitely among Lundgren's best, but it hasn't aged particularly well and has lost some of its ability to satisfy beyond the appreciation of turophiles.The story: Two renegade cops – played by Lundgren and Brandon Lee – investigating organized crime in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo take on a deadly Yakuza faction.Disregarding any other entertainment value, the main reason for seeing the film is the team-up between Lundgren and Lee. The two have a degree of chemistry and are fun to watch, and it's neat to see both of their distinctive styles of action play out within the same movie. However, even though Lee had just come off the dreadful LASER MISSION and does well enough for himself here, their collaboration is definitely more to the benefit of Dolph, who plays the straight man to Lee's comic relief and is presented as more culturally Asian than the character played by Bruce Lee's son. This (potentially) unintentional display of vanity sets the tone for a level of goofiness throughout the film that fits well with the action standard of yesteryear but won't necessarily appeal to viewers who have since learned that even comic book-style movies can be played seriously. Nothing against the script, but fewer jokes and less idolization of the archetypical action hero would have helped its legacy.The action content, focused on hand-to-hand fighting, is satisfying. This is probably the most martial arts that Lee performs in any movie other than RAPID FIRE, and even Lundgren lives up to his "karate man" image better than usual. The fact that the cast and stunt ensemble are packed with action regulars – from James Lew to Gerald Okamura – makes it a little disappointing that more of the fight scenes aren't showstoppers, but we get at least two pretty memorable bouts in the showdown between Lee and henchman Toshihiro Obata and the swordfight featuring Lundgren and supervillain Cary Tagawa. Lundgren's home invasion is likewise particularly satisfying as a rounded action scene, and the bath house brawl is memorable for several reasons. Retrospectively, it's disappointing that future action heroine Tia Carrere is relegated to damsel here, but she does what she can with the role and is given the welcome opportunity to contribute to the soundtrack.I still recommend this one to action fans, though more as a means of getting in on some nostalgia than as witnessing an objectively great adrenaline vehicle. Even with all its faults, SHOWDOWN IN LITTLE TOKYO is worth an investment, and fans of either of the leading men will have an incomplete collection without this one. Check it out.