Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes headline Philip Kaufman’s Rising Sun, an adaptation of the Michael Crichton novel, which was adapted to the big screen by Crichton, Kaufman, and Michael Backes.

The technology, which seemed a little whiz-bang at the time is common place now, but, it still highlights its danger.

When an escort is murdered in a Japanese-owned company in Los Angeles, Lt. Webster Smith (Snipes) finds himself catching the case. But he’s also directed to pick up a partner on the way, one versed in Japanese etiquette and tradition, Captain John Connor (Connery).

Arriving on the scene, the pair have to navigate the social niceties of the Japanese culture while working to uncover the murderer. The trail leads through the Yakuza, American businessmen, and politics. But who’s responsible?

I remember seeing the film back when it came out – hey, it was Connery, of course I was seeing it. But I hadn’t seen it since 1993. Outside of some pretty shaky rear-projection for driving scenes, and obvious city backdrops for the boardrooms, the film looks remarkably solid. And Connery and Snipes make for a good onscreen pairing.

They also find themselves surrounded by a very strong supporting cast including Ray Wise, Mako, Harvey Keitel, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (who is always a delight to see on screen), Tia Carrere and Daniel Von Bargen.

Featuring a soundtrack heavy on the taiko drums, composer Toru Takemitsu delivers a driving soundtrack that underscores the Japanese influence on the film, characters and narrative.

Connery is very much at ease in this role, and Crichton apparently wrote the character with him in mind. And it shows. Everything seems perfectly tailored to a Connery performance, and he moves with a languid grace throughout the film.

It’s not a fantastic film, it’s solid, and its cast is great, but I also feel it’s been kind of forgotten now at this point. I do remember it hitting video cassette back when I worked in video, and the new release shelves were lined with the stern faces of Connery and Snipes.

I know the film differs a lot from the novel, and I’ll be interested on my take on it when I get to it in Crichton’s bibliography, but I did enjoy it. It’s entertaining, the tech still works, and the story is a little sexy, a little dangerous, and navigates cultural waters with style.

And it’s a Connery film, and it’s a Crichton film. Honestly, there’s very little here for me to not like. Just some of Kaufman’s shots that hint too much at sets, or rear-projection. Everything else I got along with fine.