Rising Sun (released in theaters on July 30, 1993) is a slick, intellectually charged thriller that arrived at the peak of American anxiety regarding Japanese economic dominance. Based on the controversial bestseller by Michael Crichton and directed by Philip Kaufman, the film is a fascinating hybrid of a traditional murder mystery and a prescient exploration of digital manipulation and corporate warfare.
With its sleek, Los Angeles-noir aesthetic and a focus on the clashing philosophies of East and West, it remains a rare big-budget studio film that prioritizes subtext and cultural observation alongside its central “whodunit” narrative.
The story begins during the grand opening of the Nakamoto Tower, the glittering U.S. headquarters of a powerful Japanese conglomerate.
The festivities are shattered when a beautiful young woman is found dead on a boardroom table.
To navigate the delicate political and cultural sensitivities of the investigation, the LAPD sends Special Services officer Web Smith (Wesley Snipes), who is paired with Captain John Connor (Sean Connery), a semi-retired legend and an expert in Japanese culture and etiquette.
As the duo digs into the crime, they encounter a wall of corporate silence and sophisticated technological hurdles.
Their investigation brings them into contact with Connor’s confidant Jingo Asakuma (Tia Carrere), a data analyst who helps them uncover that the security footage of the murder has been digitally altered—a cutting-edge concept for 1993.
The tension is exacerbated by the interference of a hot-headed detective (Harvey Keitel) and the maneuvering of high-level executives like Mr. Yoshida (Mako) and the menacing Eddie Sakamura (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa).
With political figures like Senator John Morton (Ray Wise) and corporate fixers like Bob Richmond (Kevin Anderson) lurking in the shadows, Smith and Connor realize the murder is merely a distraction from a massive, illegal business merger.
Featuring a standout supporting turn by Steve Buscemi as a cynical journalist known as ‘The Weasel,’ the plot becomes a race to uncover the original, unedited footage before the killers can erase the truth and the investigators forever.
Tylyn John, Daniel Von Bargen, Stan Shaw and Alexandra Powers round out the cast.
Sean Connery, Harvey Keitel and Wesley Snipes in Rising Sun (Photo/20th Century Fox)
Reception for Rising Sun
Rising Sun grossed $15.2 million on its opening weekend, finishing No. 1 at the box office, followed by In the Line of Fire ($8 million) and The Firm ($7.1 million).
The film would gross $107.2 million worldwide.
Roger Ebert gave Rising Sun two out of four stars in his review.
Legacy
Rising Sun is defined by its pairing of Connery and Snipes, whose “mentor-student” dynamic provided the film with a grounded, human center amidst its high-tech plot.
It is remembered for being ahead of its time in its depiction of digital “deep-fakes” and the malleability of video evidence, themes that have only become more relevant in the decades since its release.
