Rising Sun (Blu-ray)

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Set and filmed in L.A., "Rising Sun" has the curious feel of a movie shot abroad, which is to say that Kaufman creates a world into which the investigators plunge that feels decidedly Japanese. Veteran actor Mako plays Yoshida-san, the Nakamoto honcho with whom Connor apparently shares a history. How to investigate while also avoiding embarrassing the Japanese and allowing them to "save face" becomes the focus of the team, but it also gets kinky. It turns out that the call girl was into asphyxiation to heighten the sexual experience, so was she or wasn't she murdered?

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is appropriately sinister as the Japanese corporate playboy who's also into a bit of the kink, and Ray Wise is equally smarmy as a U.S. Senator who may or may not be in the pocket of Nakamoto industries. Steve Buscemi and Harvey Keitel put in appearances as "The Weasel" and a police lieutenant. For the most part, the acting is top-notch, and when it does seem slightly "off" it's because the lines seem hokier. When Tia Carrere helps the men with their investigation, for example, the banter just feels like lines spoken in a movie. But moments like these are rare, and it's Connery's and Snipes' performances that carry us through the film.

Video:
The film is presented in 1.85:1 widescreen and calibrated to fill out the entire screen of a 16x9 television. The picture, transferred to a 25-gig disc using AVC technology at 18 MBPS, looks very good. There's some slight graininess in backgrounds of certain soft-focus scenes, but that clearly was intended. Color saturation and black levels are good, but this one won't be the disc you pop in to impress your guests. There's a decent level of detail, but not an awe-inspiring amount.

Audio:
The soundtrack is a bit more impressive, with the feature option an English DTS HD 5.1 Master Lossless, and additional options in French 2.0 Surround and Spanish 2.0 Stereo. Subtitles are in English and Spanish. The bass is robust and full, and the treble is bright but not too tinny, with a nice balance and great use of the rear speakers.

Extras:
As with all Blu-ray releases, there's a pop-up menu so you can hunt-and-peck while the movie continues to play, take a break to watch a feature and then come back to that spot in the movie. However, the only break you can take here is to glimpse the original theatrical trailer. There are no other extras.

Bottom Line:
Connery and Snipes work well together, but because each actor has a track record of mixing drama with humor, you almost wish the script had called for more comedy. Still, as a mostly straight investigative thriller, "Rising Sun" provides a nice combination of mystery and action.

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