Women of Action: Tia Carrere – Showdown in Little Tokyo
When the beautiful Minako Okeya (Tia Carrere) witnesses the murder of another girl at the hands of a Yakuza leader, two unlikely police detectives take her into their protection and prepare to face off against dozens of gun-wielding, tattooed badasses!
Showdown in Little Tokyo is most likely remembered as being one of the few films of Brandon Lee before his death but it’s often forgotten when people think of the better action movies of the early 90’s. It really does have it all; awesome Asian bad guys including Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Simon Rhee, Toshishiro Obata, Philip Tan, and of course Al Leong and James Lew. That alone would make Showdown in Little Tokyo must see for some but it doesn’t stop there! It also features the awesome team-up of Dolph Lundgren and Brandon Lee as they join forces to tell dick jokes, wear awesome jackets, and lust over the unbelievably sexy Tia Carrere.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that Dolph’s character Chris Kenner takes a very special interest in Minako. One might say that we learn way too much about what Kenner is packing under his traditional Japanese garb but Carrere’s Minako gets a more up close introduction.
Filled with great fight scenes, unforgettable hot tub scenes, and one of the few looks at the unfulfilled potential of Brandon Lee, Showdown in Little Tokyo is an excellent early 90’s actioner that deserves a re-watch. Showdown in Little Tokyo was also released the year before Carrere’s big role in Wayne’s World (schwing!) so fans of all those tight dresses in that should most definitely put on this gem from 1991 and enjoy the view.
