One of the best ever WWII films.

Rating: 10/10 (25 December 2014)

Forget about the ridiculously low numbered IMDb rating and the mediocre reviews on IMDb, this is a film for all to see, especially the leaders of the Japanese government. Yes, a few parts are a little long as is the entire movie so going to the restroom ahead of time is highly recommended. There are some small technical errors related to plane insignia and such but just go and see how the Japanese treated American prisoners during WWII. They did a lot more, much more terrible then what is shown. The American's they despised the most were B-29 crewman.
I feel ashamed that I own a Japanese-designed car (Honda) and that I have a big investment in Japanese Camera equipment (Nikon). There are discussions in Japan to ban or boycott this motion picture and Angelina Jolie. After all these years they just cannot handle the truth. Germans have learned the truth but not the Japanese. The Japanese don't really teach their children much of anything about the war. They either sweep it under the rug or state that the U.S. was responsible for all that happened to Japan, especially the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Hardly anyone realizes that before WWI began, Japan was already starting to make plans for their control of the Pacific. That's correct – World War I, not World War II. They joined the Allies in WWI and were awarded some of the German island possessions such as the Marianas and the Marshalls. A lot of Americans died in the landings on these islands.
The acting is great, the settings (especially those depicting Japan) are great, the aerial sequences are great and the photography is great. Almost everyone in the theater applauded at the end including me. I also had some tears in my eyes at the end, for Louis and for those that put this film together.
You may not want to purchase any Japanese-made products for a while after seeing this movie. The fact as indicted is that the principal perpetrator escaped execution by the U.S. Government as a war criminal. The U.S. wanted to forgive and forget and this in my opinion is intolerable. I was too young to fight in WWII so I guess now I am doing it. Better late than never.
I have ordered the book on which the movie is based authored by Laura Hillenbrand.