My brief review of the film

Rating: Null/10 (21 January 2005)

A quite well shot, well-acted depiction of extremities under war, and how war affects different people. It manages to portray the setting and the times unforgettably well, aided by some good music. Hayakawa is excellent, giving off a commanding performance as the Japanese general in charge. Despite its merits, the film still does have a number of vices. At times it is difficult to understand what is happening, and the film appears to be deficient in terms of providing the audience with background information. Also, the film is awfully overlong and none of the supporting characters (except for Hayakawa) are well developed. This is nonetheless a film that can be liked for its virtues insomuch as they over-weigh the film's vices  but they do not override the negative aspects of the film. In addition, one may note that it is historically inaccurate  another minor flaw of the film. Nevertheless, it was considered the best film of the year by both the British and American film academies, and it is a good quality film.