Rising Sun
Unclear and Present Danger
Jamelle Bouie
4.7 • 660 Ratings
🗓️ 6 August 2022
⏱️ 70 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On episode 21 of Unclear and Present Danger, Jamelle and John discuss the horrifically problematic 1993 thriller “Rising Sun” starring Wesley Snipes and Sean Connery. It’s lurid, salacious and incredibly racist, which makes it fertile ground for a discussion of the anti-Japanese panic of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Additional topics include Wesley Snipes' career, Michael Crighton’s whole deal, and the question of whether it is even possible to forge a unifying national narrative.
Connor Lynch produced this episode. Artwork by Rachel Eck.
Follow us on Twitter!
Links from the episode!
The Washington Post on the protests against the release of “Rising Sun.”
Hobart Rowen on Japan-bashing in the 1980s.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | You ever negotiated with the Japanese before? |
| 0:11.0 | Well, this is hardly a negotiation. |
| 0:13.0 | What is it? |
| 0:14.0 | It's a homicide. |
| 0:16.0 | Every aspect of your appearance and behavior will reflect on me as your semai. |
| 0:20.0 | My simpai? |
| 0:21.6 | That wouldn't happen to be anything like Massa now, would it? |
| 0:24.6 | Whatever happens, don't lose your temper. |
| 0:28.6 | I don't lose my temper. |
| 0:31.6 | That's good to know. |
| 0:33.6 | Sean Connery. |
| 0:34.6 | We're playing that most of the medic American of games, which is what? |
| 0:38.3 | Catch up. |
| 0:39.3 | Wesley Snipes. |
| 0:40.3 | Hey, look, Simpie, apple pie, whatever it is you want me to call you. |
| 0:43.3 | We have a burden here, and I want to solve it. |
| 0:45.3 | We're in the war zone. |
| 0:48.3 | We're in the war zone. The |
| 0:57.0 | The Welcome to episode 21 of unclear and present danger. |
| 1:20.5 | A podcast about the political and military thrillers of the 1990s and what they say about the politics of that decade. |
| 1:29.6 | I'm Jamel Bowie. I'm a columnist for the New York Times opinion section. My name is John Gans. I write a substack newsletter called Unpopular |
| 1:35.8 | Unpopular Popular Front and I'm working on a book about American politics in the early 1990s. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Jamelle Bouie, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Jamelle Bouie and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.