One sided, yet true

Rating: 8/10 (9 December 2003)

Before watching this movie, I was afraid this to be yet another US-distortion of history. However, even though this movie uses a purely US-based view on matters in the japanese civil-war, it turns out to have a relatively pro-japanese viewpoint.
Unique in contemporary hollywood filmmaking, one might say.
To take this even further, it would be completely understandable that US viewers would hate this movie as it is anti-american. It defends the japanese culture against the american attacks at the beginning of the last century and might even be considered a justification of the Japanese attack against Pearl harbor.
Being a european, I must say that I still dislike the purely american viewpoint. In this respect films like "Shogun" portrai a more 'general western' viewpoint towards Japanese culture.
Even so, I feel the movie portrais a true emotion and standpoint of events and portrais these events in a very apt way. 8/10 by me!