rising sun

based on the novel by michael crichton, this movie follows the investigation of a death that may be linked to a very important japanese business deal.  snipes' police detective is called in to deal with the situation and he has to work with a japanese liaison played by sean connery.  they have to figure out how and why a woman was killed in the boardroom the same night as, one floor above, and important business party that plays heavy on weather or not this japanese deal will go through.  we follow  the pair as they try to get down to the truth of what happened, following false leads, discovering new clues, and all the challenges along the way.  this is an older film, and it certainly is now showing its age.  a lot of the plot hinges on different technological advances, which today is taken for granted, is marveled at by the people in the movie.  what?  digital video can be manipulated?!?  no way!  what was cutting edge at the time, today is considered elementary.  there are still enough twists and turns to throw us off the final reveal, but even with the unexpected conclusion, the whole thing feels pretty standard.  i'm sure this was an interesting movie back before there were 5 cop shows on tv every night of the week, but today it fills a bit flat.
oh, and on a side note, how funny is it that sean connery never changes who he is no matter what the role calls for?  in this one he is supposedly one of the most learned men when it comes to japanese culture and understanding the mindset of business, but still he acts and sounds the same as he did in every other movie he has ever made!  now thats a movie star!

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