''Into the Sun'' is a 2005
action film
Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...
directed by
Christopher Morrison
Christopher "MINK" Wingfield Morrison is a British American film director, writer, producer and comic book novelist.
Early life
Christopher "mink" Wingfield Morrison was born in London and relocated with his parents to Los Angeles, California. ...
and starring
Steven Seagal
Steven Frederic Seagal (; born April 10, 1952) is an American actor, screenwriter and martial artist. A 7th-dan black belt in aikido, he began his adult life as a martial arts instructor in Japan and eventually ended up running his father-in-l ...
(who also produced),
Matthew Davis
Matthew Davis, also professionally known as Matt Davis, is an American actor. He is mostly known for his roles as Warner Huntington III in ''Legally Blonde'', Adam Hillman on the ABC comedy-drama ''What About Brian'' from 2006 to 2007 and Alari ...
,
Takao Osawa
is a Japanese actor.
Career
Osawa starred in the 2002 film ''Filament'' and the 2007 film ''Midnight Eagle''. He has also appeared in films such as Masayuki Suo's ''A Terminal Trust'' and Takashi Miike's ''Shield of Straw''.
The Newport Beach F ...
,
Eddie George
Edward Nathan George Jr. (born September 24, 1973) is an American football coach and former player who is the current head coach at Tennessee State. He played as a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, primarily f ...
,
Juliette Marquis, and
William Atherton
William Atherton Knight (born July 30, 1947) is an American actor, best known for portraying Richard Thornburg in ''Die Hard'' and its sequel and Walter Peck in ''Ghostbusters''.
Early life
Atherton was born in Orange, Connecticut, the son ...
.
The original script, written by
Trevor Miller
Trevor Miller is an English screenwriter, author and playwright who the ''Record Mirror'' joked "is hailed by some as the voice of a generation". The ''London Evening Standard'' called his debut novel '' Trip City'' "an ''On the Road'' for the po ...
, was very similar to
Sydney Pollack
Sydney Irwin Pollack (July 1, 1934 – May 26, 2008) was an American film director, producer and actor. Pollack directed more than 20 films and 10 television shows, acted in over 30 movies or shows and produced over 44 films. For his film ''Out ...
's ''
The Yakuza
''The Yakuza'' is a 1974 neo-noir crime drama film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Robert Mitchum, Ken Takakura and Brian Keith. The screenplay by Paul Schrader and Robert Towne is from a story by Schrader's brother, Leonard Schrader.
T ...
''. Joe Halpin, a former undercover narcotics detective, rewrote the script with Seagal to avoid making it a costly remake. Set in Japan, Seagal plays a CIA operative who takes down
Yakuza
, also known as , are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media, by request of the police, call them , while the ''yakuza'' call themselves . The English equivalent for the term ...
gangsters. It was theatrically released in Japan but only went direct-to-DVD in the United States.
Plot
The assassination of
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
's governor Takayama causes a stir of public outrage in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
, Japan. Upon hearing news of the incident, the U.S.
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...
asks the
CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...
's Tokyo office to investigate the killing, believing it to be linked to the
Yakuza
, also known as , are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media, by request of the police, call them , while the ''yakuza'' call themselves . The English equivalent for the term ...
, a dangerous Japanese mafia syndicate. The Japanese branch of the CIA starts sniffing around under the auspices of the
United States Department of Homeland Security
The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the Federal government of the United States, U.S. United States federal executive departments, federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the I ...
. CIA agent Travis Hunter and his rookie FBI agent understudy Sean Mac are assigned to work on the case and to track down the perpetrators. During their work, Mac proves to be primarily a distraction to Hunter, especially as he is neither very knowledgeable about CIA procedures nor Japanese customs. Hunter, on the other hand, having been raised in Japan, has a strong understanding of the Yakuza and their mysterious, eccentric and sinister ways.
Hunter and Mac discover a plan by Kuroda, the boss of a new Yakuza outfit, to build an enormous drug-dealing network using his export company in cahoots with a Chinese Triad outfit leader named Chen. Kuroda is killing everyone who gets in his way. While reviewing security footage of the assassination, Hunter identifies a medallion seen around the neck of the shooter that links Kuroda to be the mastermind of the governor's assassination. As Hunter has been told that Kojima, the second-in-command of an old school Yakuza group run by elderly 'godfather' Oyabun Ishikawa, is the only Yakuza player who is capable of defeating Kuroda, Hunter turns to him for help. When they speak, Kojima tells Hunter that the new Yakuza have gained more power after joining forces with the Triads, and are ready to eliminate any other Yakuza gang. Kojima then reveals and he and Hunter have something in common - permanently ridding of Kuroda, adding that it will be interesting to see which one of them kills him first.
Meanwhile, Hunter's relentless pursuit of Kuroda increasingly endangers those associated with him. First, Kuroda has godfather Ishikawa murdered, making Kojima the new leader of Ishikawa's Yakuza outfit. Mac gets out of his depth while investigating and is also brutally murdered. But when Kuroda has Hunter's fiancée Nayako savagely slaughtered by sword, Hunter's search for Kuroda becomes devastatingly personal. Teaming up with CIA operative Jewel and tattoo artist Fudomyo-o, whose wife and young child were also killed by Kuroda, Hunter sets out to take down Kuroda.
By nightfall, Fudomyo-o and Hunter arrive at the temple Kuroda uses as his hideout. One-by-one they take on all the members of Kuroda's group with
katana
A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the ''tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge fa ...
s. Mei Ling, former student of Hunter and daughter of his sifu, who was killed by Chen, also arrives just in time to save Fudomyo-o and then teams up with the two men. After Fudomyo-o survives being shot during a confrontation Kuroda. Hunter then appears and ferociously battles Kuroda, ultimately killing him by slashing his chest. They then leave Kuroda's temple hideout.
The next day, Mei Ling, Fudomyo-o and Hunter hold a memorial service to offer their respects to Nayako. At the same time, a Yakuza ceremony is held to formally make Kojima the successor leader. Jewel and her CIA "professional cleaning company crew" arrive at Kuroda's hideout and quickly coat virtually everything with a gooey blue substance. The local authorities arrive shortly thereafter to investigate the scene, and are puzzled by what they find. They take the bodies of Kuroda and his henchmen for autopsy as the weapons are collected for forensic criminal investigation. As the chief inspector comments that the blue goo will keep them from gathering fingerprints, Hunter returns to the park where he and Nayako used to hang out in order to grieve and remember her.
Cast
*
Steven Seagal
Steven Frederic Seagal (; born April 10, 1952) is an American actor, screenwriter and martial artist. A 7th-dan black belt in aikido, he began his adult life as a martial arts instructor in Japan and eventually ended up running his father-in-l ...
as CIA Agent Travis Hunter, a law enforcement agent sent to Tokyo to track down a crime syndicate responsible for murdering the governor
*
Matthew Davis
Matthew Davis, also professionally known as Matt Davis, is an American actor. He is mostly known for his roles as Warner Huntington III in ''Legally Blonde'', Adam Hillman on the ABC comedy-drama ''What About Brian'' from 2006 to 2007 and Alari ...
as FBI Agent Sean Mac, Hunter's rookie understudy
*
Takao Osawa
is a Japanese actor.
Career
Osawa starred in the 2002 film ''Filament'' and the 2007 film ''Midnight Eagle''. He has also appeared in films such as Masayuki Suo's ''A Terminal Trust'' and Takashi Miike's ''Shield of Straw''.
The Newport Beach F ...
as Kuroda (
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
: 黒田, ''Kuroda''), the leader of the crime syndicate responsible for assassinating Tokyo's Governor and the main antagonist.
*
Eddie George
Edward Nathan George Jr. (born September 24, 1973) is an American football coach and former player who is the current head coach at Tennessee State. He played as a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, primarily f ...
as CIA Agent Jones, Travis' ex-partner who is killed in South East Asia.
*
William Atherton
William Atherton Knight (born July 30, 1947) is an American actor, best known for portraying Richard Thornburg in ''Die Hard'' and its sequel and Walter Peck in ''Ghostbusters''.
Early life
Atherton was born in Orange, Connecticut, the son ...
as CIA Agent Block: The head of the CIA stationed in Tokyo.
*
Juliette Marquis as Jewel, a CIA spook.
*
Ken Lo
Ken Lo (Kenneth Houi Kang Low) (born 19 March 1957) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, and stuntman. He is known for his martial arts and stunt work as a former member of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team, most notably for his antagonistic role as Jo ...
as Chen (
Mandarin
Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to:
Language
* Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country
** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China
** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
: 陈, ''Chén''), a Triad boss who plans to make the Triads and Yakuza one unstoppable criminal organization.
*
Kosuke Toyohara as Fudomyo-o (
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
: 不動明王, ''Fudōmyōō''): A tattoo artist whose wife and child was killed by Kuroda.
*
Akira Terao
is a Japanese musician, singer and movie actor. As of 2012, he is the only male actor to have received both the Japan Record Award and the Japan Academy Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role.
Early life
Terao was born ...
as Matsuda (
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
: 松田, ''Matsuda''), the elder boss of the Yakuza.
* Dale Payne as Zen Custodian
* Eve Masatoh as Kojima (
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
: 小島, ''Kojima''), an old-school Yakuza underboss who has knowledge of Kuroda's illegal activities and plans.
*
Pace Wu as Mai Ling (
Mandarin
Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to:
Language
* Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country
** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China
** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
: 麦玲, ''Mài líng''), a protege of Travis.
*
Chiaki Kuriyama
is a Japanese actress, singer, and model. She is best known in the West for her roles as Takako Chigusa in Kinji Fukasaku's 2000 film '' Battle Royale'' and Gogo Yubari in Quentin Tarantino's 2003 film '' Kill Bill: Volume 1''.
Life and career ...
as Ayako, the daughter of the Governor who was assassinated by Kuroda's men.
* Kanako Yamaguchi as Nayako (
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
: なやこ, ''Nayako''), Travis' Japanese fiancé' who is murdered by one of the Yakuza mafia members
* Namihiko Ohmura as Takeshi (
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
: たけし, ''Takeshi''), one of Kuroda’s lieutenants who wears glasses and is seen with Kawamura.
* Daisuke Honda as Kawamura (
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
: 川村, ''Kawamura''), one of Kuroda’s lieutenants wearing a cowboy hat.
* Roy Oguri as Kenji (
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
, 賢司, ''Kenji'')
* Sokyu Fujita as Investigator Maeda (
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
: 前田捜査官, ''Maeda sōsa-kan'')
* Vikrom Suebsaeng as Chang Choudong (
Mandarin
Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to:
Language
* Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country
** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China
** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
, 张崇东, ''Zhāngchóngdōng''), a Chinese-Thai triad member based in Bangkok.
* Shôji Oki as Ishikawa (
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
, 石川県, ''Ishikawa ken''), the mob boss of an old-school Yakuza organization who bears hatred for Kuroda.
Production
The original script by
Trevor Miller
Trevor Miller is an English screenwriter, author and playwright who the ''Record Mirror'' joked "is hailed by some as the voice of a generation". The ''London Evening Standard'' called his debut novel '' Trip City'' "an ''On the Road'' for the po ...
had to be reworked, as it was too similar to ''
The Yakuza
''The Yakuza'' is a 1974 neo-noir crime drama film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Robert Mitchum, Ken Takakura and Brian Keith. The screenplay by Paul Schrader and Robert Towne is from a story by Schrader's brother, Leonard Schrader.
T ...
'', which would have cost too much to license for a remake. The film was announced in 2003 after
Franchise Pictures
Franchise Pictures LLC was an independent motion picture production and distribution company, founded by Elie Samaha, Ashok Amritraj, and Andrew Stevens. They were known for their production in the action film genre. The company also had a short ...
bought the script. Joe Halpin, who rewrote the script, is a former undercover narcotics detective who worked with the
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD), officially the County of Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, is a law enforcement agency serving Los Angeles County, California. LASD is the largest sheriff's department in the United States a ...
and
Drug Enforcement Administration
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA; ) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within th ...
. Morrison said that the film, which was shot in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, was designed to feel authentically Japanese instead of merely being an American film set in Japan. Seagal had lived in Japan earlier and expressed embarrassment in the DVD commentary over how rusty he was at the use of the
Japanese language
is spoken natively by about 128 million people, primarily by Japanese people and primarily in Japan, the only country where it is the national language. Japanese belongs to the Japonic or Japanese- Ryukyuan language family. There have been ma ...
.
The director said his "experience with Steven was terrific. I was working on a project very near to his heart as it was set in Tokyo and Steven had lived there for years and speaks fluent Japanese. The only difficulties came from stretching the budget and schedule to work in Tokyo and Thailand with a multi-language speaking cast. I however am very grateful for him giving me the shot to work with him on such a personal project he wrote."
Release
Sony released ''Into the Sun'' theatrically in Japan on November 26, 2005, and it grossed $164,762.
[ In the United States, it went direct-to-video, released on February 15, 2005.][
]
Reception
Beyond Hollywood wrote that the film could have been good if it had starred someone besides Seagal, whose extensive scenes of dialogue feel like padding and do not play to his action hero strengths. Ian Jane of DVD Talk
DVD Talk is a home video news and review website launched in 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman.
History
Kleinman founded the site in January 1999 in Beaverton, Oregon. Besides news and reviews, it features information on hidden DVD features known as ...
rated it 3/5 stars and, while calling it one of Seagal's better recent films, recommended it to fans of mindless action films.
References
Bibliography
*
External links
*
* {{Rotten Tomatoes, 1139813_into_the_sun
''Into the Sun''
at Letterbox DVD
Review of film
at Vern
2005 films
2005 direct-to-video films
2005 action films
2005 martial arts films
American action films
American martial arts films
Japanese action films
Japanese martial arts films
2000s Japanese-language films
Direct-to-video action films
Films about the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Films about the Central Intelligence Agency
Films set in Tokyo
Films shot in Japan
Destination Films films
Triad films
Yakuza films
Franchise Pictures films
Films scored by Stanley Clarke
Films produced by Elie Samaha
Japan in non-Japanese culture
2000s English-language films
2000s American films
2000s Hong Kong films
2005 multilingual films
American multilingual films
Japanese multilingual films