Ignore the Critics- prepare to be impressed (and bring a hanky)

Rating: Null/10 (25 June 2001)

It may be a Bruckheimer production and that single point made me cringe, but he produced and stayed away from the director (apparently). Yes, some historical facts are juxtaposed, but so what? Even the much "docu-drama-ballyhooed "Tora! Tora! Tora!" wasn't perfect and is rather drab and boring. This tale surrounds 3 people but they are the adhesive for linking a backdrop that quickly overtakes that subplot at the right moments. The 1st 45 minutes are worth admission price and that is BEFORE the attack. The Japanese sequences are more minimal than maybe I'd have liked and seem to be more of a lesser budget expenditure- but hey! This story is involving the attack vice the planning- for that, see "Tora!". That opening 45 minutes is about the bond between two friends and the warfare that draws one away from the other- it's great friendship stuff. The two kids through to adulthood is fun: getting a plane airborne as runts to doing daredevil maneuvers in fighter training school (which of course plays during the attack later on).
This is THE film that shows what CGI should be all about: creating what isn't any more. "Jurassic Park" did it too- but can we really relate? Modern times that are extinct due to the on-slaught of human history should be recreated. Maybe then we can get the damned concept across: war is NOT good or divine or ultimately better. Someone once said (referring to the Viet Nam war peace talks) that so what if we sat forever at negotiating tables- it beat killing one another. Well, maybe next round of talks at the next conflict, people should see this movie and the opener of "Saving Private Ryan". Maybe then they'll get the clue- There are moments during the attack that are frightful, yet stunning for the ability to thoroughly convince that we are seeing the real thing. For a plane buff as myself- just the footage of A6M's ("Zeroes") flying by is majestic. Seeing the Arizona lifted out of the water as the lower-deck munitions go up in a singularly massive explosion is traumatizing to the point of exhaustive sadness. The attack on 7 December 1941 was a sneak attack, a cheap attack, and a very far eastern attack. It should not be accepted as though it were a product of it's day. But it shouldn't be forgotten- ever. The film reminds us that man and machine can bring horror and fascination. Humans that strive to entertain and enlighten as those who manufactured this film ARE of a breed different from that day. I don't see any of them doing this just for the paycheck though- it's a message and an entertainment movie.
The performances are good and solid and yes, some may call this a "guy's" film but the women doing double, even triple duty as the mavens of life-saving deserve the honors shown here- they too fought the good fight and are all-too-often not recognized in war epics. I was glad to see that here. I wasn't however glad to see the technique utilized to show hospital horror- it DIDN'T work. It just didn't. I thought that the projection equipment was malfunctioning. How ridiculous- in the midst of presenting with the finest effects material ever achieved, the focus goes nutso and I began to wonder if that was LSD the counter kid placed on my popcorn. Dumb. Just dumb. However I didn't let that ruin the film- taking the story out to the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo, the first retaliatory move by the US some 4 months later was good and awesome in it's light manner of saying that the U.S. was ready and going to demonstrate that we were ready to fight that good fight. Seeing the B-25's swooping down over Yokusuka's factories was simply breathtaking- it became believable that we'd actually filmed it all.
This is a human film about the worst and best of humans- 3 times only are foul words said (and two of them were "SOB's")- and the worst was out of what is SURELY to be a nominated performance by John Voight as President Roosevelt. His is a great role- as are many. I must put in a plug for Mako as Yamamoto- his performance translates the reluctance to wake the sleeping dragon known as America of this sad military career man very well.
Don't wait to see this on a small screen.