Surprisingly Amazing

Rating: 10/10 (14 December 2017)

Feels very much like two films in one with the first half being a heartfelt and interesting look at a subject not often covered - that of conscientious objectors before it suddenly takes a drastic turn into some of the most brutal, horrific (and high budget) WW2 battle scenes of any film which I feel does justice to the sheer terror and chaos of the stories about Okinawa.
Ultimately a very good film however it does at times stretch credulity and undoubtedly stray from the truth especially regarding the bulletproof potential of a human body, the ammo capacity of some weapons and the effectiveness of green troops. Yes maybe you could use a body to take a couple shots and save your life but when it gets peppered with rifle fire it only takes one shot to penetrate and you're dead. A BAR holds 20 rounds, an M3 holds 30, they are not inexhaustible Gatling guns capable of clearing everything in your path.
Accounts from WW2 veterans talk of fresh troops freezing when they first see people next to them killed and not showing complete dispassion and the ability to then instantly take down 6 enemy soldiers with an 8 round rifle. Or rather, the film seems to portray them as being green but a quick look online reveals that they saw action in Guam and the Philippines before Okinawa so it would be fair to say it takes some liberties with the truth.
Things like this ultimately don't detract from the film all that much as it still has an amazing story to tell with more truth than fiction although it does make you question if certain things actually happened or if they are artistic license. Until the end with the veteran interviews I did find it confusing that a medic not carrying a weapon was such a big deal when they were not required to do so and at most might have carried a pistol for self defence (at least in the Pacific theatre where the Geneva convention went out the window). Nonetheless it is such an incredible story and so well told that I'll let some of the more unbelievable combat scenes slide.