Oh boy, so I was called in as a special consultant on a murder inside a large Japanese conglomerate’s Los Angeles headquarters, and then wouldn’t you know it, but I was bopped on the head by some yakuza and don’t remember a thing! Do you remember what happened in Rising Sun?
Pop Quiz Hot Shot!
1) Who is the murder victim and what is her relationship to the Nakamoto Group and how did she die?
2) Why is it explained that Connery took indefinite leave from the Los Angeles police department?
3) Why does Connery let Eddie go without questioning or arresting him at the party later on the evening of Feb 9th?
4) Did Webb take a bribe? Why?
5) So … who killed the girl? Walk me through the events.
Bonus Question: Detective John Conner retires soon after the events of the film, what does he do after leaving the force (officially)?
Answers
1) She is the girlfriend of Eddie Sakamura, and was strangled while having sex in an upstairs boardroom during the Nakamoto Group gala.
2) Connery took indefinite leave because he went to Japan and came back … changed. They believe he is too good of a friend of Japan, who, it is heavily implied, are now considered the big threat to the US after the collapse of Russia.
3) He lets him go because Eddie’s father saved Connery’s life in Japan, and now Connery owes him a life debt.
4) Yeah, he took a bribe. Mostly, it was because he needed the money, he had a baby on the way and bills up to here. But partially it was because they had no case anyways. It was an illegal search, and the wife couldn’t testify against her husband, so the drug case was dead in the water. So no harm no foul right? Or so he thought.
5) So, basically, Eddie’s girl was offered to Senator Morton as part of the deal. After he chokes her out, thinking she is dead, Eddie helps him to escape. But twist! The girl isn’t dead, she’s very much alive … right up until Bob Richmond, the asshole American helping Nakamoto, actually strangles her to complete the blackmail.
Bonus Answers: While Conner loves Japan, he also loves golf and money (in the form of golf memberships). After the Japanese economy enters a recession and business consultation dries up, he leaves the U.S. to return to his childhood home in the highlands of Scotland. There he invites his good friend Yoshida to invest in a golf course and an adjoining whiskey distillery. The golf course struggles, but stays afloat thanks to its savvy ability to cater to high class Japanese businessmen. The whiskey though quickly racked up awards as one of the stronger young distillery efforts in the nation and is now considered a staple of the Scotch scene, a rarity for such a newcomer. John Conner, when interviewed, suggested it was his ability to blend his old family recipe with the sensibilities of the newer Japanese whiskey trade that allowed him to avoid the pitfalls new distilleries often succumb to when merely trying to mimic the big hitters on the market. The now 90-year-old Conner teased a special 20th anniversary blend to be announced soon.
Oh wow, big happens in the whiskey world it sounds like. I didn’t catch the name of the whiskey I definitely made up though, but I’m sure you can find it by googling “John Conner whiskey” or something.
Bad Movie Twins 