Although it passed without much fanfare, this year marked the 30th anniversary of "Black Rain." Ridley Scott's Osaka-set cop thriller may have been absurd, but it still ranks as one of the high points in Hollywood's on-off infatuation with Japan.
Scott is one of the producers of "Earthquake Bird," Wash Westmoreland's more low-key Netflix movie. Taking place in Tokyo in 1989, it even features a cheeky snippet of "Black Rain" that may tempt viewers to watch instead.
Based on a 2001 novel by former Japan resident Susanna Jones, this is yet another depiction of the country as seen through Western eyes, albeit with a more nuanced perspective than usual. Unlike the culture clashes of "Black Rain" and countless other films, including Netflix's disastrous "The Outsider" (2018), the non-Japanese protagonist of "Earthquake Bird" is perfectly at home here.
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