is this it?
From the dialogue to the hairdos.
Douglas' and Garcia's acting.
Cinematography and music? Nothing special.
no it is good film. it is the only film by ridley scotts that i like!
Ripley's style over substance directing works perfect with japan setting.
It's pretty good. The story is as old as the hills but works out well in a new setting and style.
Style over substance: The style is there but with the substance. Ridley tells the story economically, and the style is the layer on top. Barely any fat other than atmosphere building.
His worst is his latest stuff. Robin Hood was a bore. The new Alien stuff is average to bad in places.
This is entertaining as hell and looks amazing.
Hans Zimmers score was nice. I usually dislike a lot of Zimmers early stuff because it sounds cheap, apart from the obvious stand alones. Some of his older scores (as well as new ones) are overpowering (Backdraft). This score covered most of the film, almost every scene, and it settled nicely, blending quite well.
When you play a 90's, 2000's film not knowing it's Zimmer, then you hear a computer orchestra, bombastic waveforms and synthesisers, then you know it's Zimmer. This one had that early Zimmer sound but it accompanied the film well. Not hitting the highs of True Romance with a notable theme but nice enough to bubble away in the background.
Michael Douglas is great as always, Andy Garcia puts in a good performance. Although it's quite obvious where his character ends up.
Well worth 2 hours.
P.S. There is a Prometheus running moment at 1:26:15 where a big truck is coming up behind Michael Douglas, and he keeps running forward instead of moving to the side.
P.S.S. 1:38:48 mention of the title. "Black Rain"