Tora! Tora! Tora!

Now Showing

On Sky Movies Classics 08/12/09 10:20

Director: Richard Fleischer, Ray Kellogg, Toshio Masuda, Kinji Fukasaku

Stars: Joseph Cotten, Jason Robards, Martin Balsam, Soh Yamamura

Year: 1970 Running Time: 144 mins Rating:

Epic recreation of the Imperial Japanese Air Forces' attack on Pearl Harbor, this Japanese-American co-production is a meticulously mounted, gripping account of the build-up to the attack, told from the Japanese and US perspectives. Far superior to Michael Bay's bizarre Pearl Harbor, amazing aerial footage and model work combine for an impressively authentic feeling depiction of the attack, while a starry cast provide requisite stoicism. Battle Royale director Kinji Fukasaku co-directed the Japanese segments.

Review

A long, lavish and lifelike re-creation of the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that bravely tries to tell the story from both sides. The special effects are superb and there are fine performances from James Whitmore, as America's Admiral Halsey, Soh Yamamura, as a conscience-stricken Japanese admiral, and Takahiro Tamura, as the man who led the raid. Costing $25million, it bombed at the box office, but the very at least it's loads better than the 2001 turkey Pearl Harbor. Jason Robards, who plays an American general, was in the US Navy at Pearl Harbor.