Preteen girl looking at a cell phone with her parents

Personalized picks at your fingertips

Get the mobile app on iOS and Android

Parents' Guide to

Black Rain

By Alistair Lawrence, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

1980s crime thriller has bloody violence, language.

Movie R 1989 125 minutes
Black Rain movie poster

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

Loosely part of the 1980s genre of odd-couple crime movies, this is an ambitious if cliched attempt to bring together the worlds of American and Japanese policing with some high-stakes shootouts. As Black Rain's antihero cop Nick Conklin, Douglas must battle some predictable tropes (a failed marriage, too much drinking, and allegations of corruption) as well as what turns out to be some formidable foes from the Japanese underworld. Transplanting the bulk of the story to Osaka doesn't create any space for new ideas, sadly, but Garcia puts in an enjoyable performance as Charlie Vincent, Nick's puppyish partner who's along for the ride.

How Conklin "gets results" doesn't leave much to the imagination, either. But director Ridley Scott capably directs the action through two countries where the women are conspicuous by their absence. This dates Black Rain more than anything, meaning it's unlikely anyone who didn't see this 1989 thriller the first time around will be missing much, unless they're Douglas or Scott completists.

Movie Details

Inclusion information powered by

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate