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Rising Sun

Rising Sun

Movie · 1993 · 15 people

Philip Kaufman directed the 1993 American crime thriller Rising Sun (released in Turkey as Yükselen Güneş, also known there as Güneşte İsyan). Adapted from Michael Crichton's 1992 novel of the same name, it blends mystery, crime and action in a single story. Its lead, Sean Connery, also served as an executive producer. Critics were unkind, yet the film, made on a $40 million budget, earned $107.2 million worldwide.

The plot begins with a murder committed while Japanese and American business interests are sitting down to strike a deal, and the killing throws everything into turmoil. Connery plays John Connor and Wesley Snipes plays Web Smith, the two central characters, with Harvey Keitel as Tom Graham. Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa and Mako round out the main cast, and Tia Carrere, Ray Wise, Steve Buscemi and Clyde Kusatsu appear in supporting parts.

Kaufman, Crichton and Michael Backes wrote the screenplay together. Shot in English and running 124 minutes, the film was released in the United States by 20th Century Fox on July 30, 1993.

DirectorPhilip Kaufman
Production company20th Century Fox

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Cast

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Steve Buscemi Steve Buscemi Film actor · 68 years old Willy Wilhelm Clyde Kusatsu Clyde Kusatsu Actor · 78 years old Tanaka Sean Connery Wesley Snipes Harvey Keitel Tia Carrere Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa Ray Wise Mako Iwamatsu Tony Ganios Stan Shaw Alexandra Powers Amy Hill Dan Butler Daniel von Bargen

Through different eyes

AI-assisted editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives. They are not reader reviews; those are below.

Action & Thriller Fan Puts pace, tension and set pieces first; little patience for slow drama.

The poster may say action, but at heart this is a murder puzzle. Because the mystery and crime side outweighs the rest, the pace mostly follows the rhythm of the investigation, so anyone waiting for chases and shoot-outs needs patience. On the plus side, the Connery–Snipes pairing carries it, and the big deal behind the killing keeps the tension alive. Less a quick-hit action movie than a crime story that makes you think.

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

Having Kaufman, Crichton and Michael Backes adapt Crichton's novel together seems to explain why the film tries to carry three genres at once: mystery, crime and action squeezed into one structure. To my mind that abundance sometimes upsets the tonal balance; the cerebral side of the investigation and the movement the genre expects never fully fuse. Connery doubling as executive producer suggests a film built largely around his screen persona, and the pairing with Snipes is its sturdiest support. Despite harsh reviews, takings well over twice the budget show that audiences embraced the mix.

History & Society Lens Asks about the period, the social background and what the work reflects.

Centering on a murder committed just as Japanese and American business interests sit down to make a deal, the film reflects the anxieties of a time when Japan's economic rise was hotly debated in America. That makes it readable today not only as a crime story but as a window onto the mood of those years. It is interesting to see the power relations of global capital opened up through a popular genre. It's worth noting that, like any story pitting two business cultures against each other, it runs the risk of leaning on stereotypes; whether it tries to understand the cultural gap or to exaggerate it is a question viewers should weigh.

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