Into the Sun (2005)

Into the Sun is a 2005 action film directed by Christopher Morrison and starring Steven Seagal (who also produced), Matthew Davis, Takao Osawa, Eddie George, Juliette Marquis, and William Atherton. The original script, written by Trevor Miller, was very similar to Sydney Pollack’s The Yakuza. Joe Halpin, a former undercover narcotics detective, rewrote the script with Seagal to avoid making it a costly remake. Set in Japan, Seagal plays a CIA operative who takes down Yakuza gangsters. It was theatrically released in Japan but only went direct-to-DVD in the United States.

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Plot:

The assassination of Tokyo’s governor Takayama causes a stir of public outrage in Tokyo, Japan. Upon hearing news of the incident, the U.S. FBI asks the CIA’s Tokyo office to investigate the killing, believing it to be linked to the Yakuza, a dangerous Japanese mafia syndicate. The Japanese branch of the CIA starts sniffing around under the auspices of the United States Department of Homeland Security. CIA agent Travis Hunter and his rookie FBI agent understudy Sean Mac are assigned to work on the case and to track down the perpetrators. During their work, Mac proves to be primarily a distraction to Hunter, especially as he is neither very knowledgeable about CIA procedures nor Japanese customs.

Hunter, on the other hand, having been raised in Japan, has a strong understanding of the Yakuza and their mysterious, eccentric and sinister ways. Hunter and Mac discover a plan by Kuroda, the boss of a new Yakuza outfit, to build an enormous drug-dealing network using his export company in cahoots with a Chinese Triad outfit leader named Chen. Kuroda is killing everyone who gets in his way. While reviewing security footage of the assassination, Hunter identifies a medallion seen around the neck of the shooter that links Kuroda to be the mastermind of the governor’s assassination.

As Hunter has been told that Kojima, the second-in-command of an old school Yakuza group run by elderly ‘godfather’ Oyabun Ishikawa, is the only Yakuza player who is capable of defeating Kuroda, Hunter turns to him for help. When they speak, Kojima tells Hunter that the new Yakuza have gained more power after joining forces with the Triads, and are ready to eliminate any other Yakuza gang. Kojima then reveals and he and Hunter have something in common – permanently ridding of Kuroda, adding that it will be interesting to see which one of them kills him first.

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Production:

The original script by Trevor Miller had to be reworked, as it was too similar to The Yakuza, which would have cost too much to license for a remake. The film was announced in 2003 after Franchise Pictures bought the script. Joe Halpin, who rewrote the script, is a former undercover narcotics detective who worked with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and Drug Enforcement Administration. Morrison said that the film, which was shot in Japan, was designed to feel authentically Japanese instead of merely being an American film set in Japan. Seagal had lived in Japan earlier and expressed embarrassment in the DVD commentary over how rusty he was at the use of the Japanese language

Into The Sun (2005) Biography, Plot, Production, Trailer