Admiral Yamamoto (DVD) (Taiwan Version) DVD Region 3

The film opens in 1939 with Japan in turmoil and Yamamoto in opposition to the country signing the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy, despite popular opinion seeing it as a way of challenging oppression by the US. Believing that the US is too strong an enemy to face head-on, Yamamoto does his best to avoid conflict as events in Europe escalate, though comes under increasing pressure from his superiors and the media. After World War II breaks out, he rises up through the ranks of the navy, and finds himself unable to refuse orders any longer, and plans an attack on Pearl Harbour as a blitzkrieg style manoeuvre, hoping that its devastation will lead to a peaceful resolution. However, though the raid is seen as a success by the public, Yamamoto knows otherwise, and after an enraged US joins the war, the following battles for Midway and Guadalcanal do not go as planned.

Judged on its own merits as a biopic, Admiral Yamamoto is a pleasantly old-fashioned affair that certainly tries to sell itself as being historically grounded and as sticking to the facts. Complete with black and white footage and occasional bursts of stoic voice-over, it feels at times like a lesson, though thankfully without every becoming too dry, successfully balancing drama and details. Director Narushima Izuru keeps a steady hand at the helm throughout, allowing the story to unfold at a deliberate, unrushed pace, and though the film does have its share of big-budget set pieces and impressively staged naval battles, it's equally concerned with its quieter and more personal moments. As a result, coupled with a strong lead performance by Yakusho Koji, the film does offer a substantial and engaging portrait of its controversial protagonist, as well as delving into the political and social ills of the time. While this isn't quite enough to make it accessible to all audiences, those already interested in the subject matter should find plenty here to chew on.

At the same time though, there's no getting around the fact that the film being a Japanese view of World War II might prove unpalatable for some, as it does come across as somewhat of a re-visioning of events. Whether or not Yamamoto truly was a man of peace forced into war or not, the film does to an extent paint Japan almost as a victim rather than taking responsibility for its actions during the period ?this is particularly apparent in its focus on the US as an aggressor that needs to be either faced down rather than knelt to, whereas the Japanese plan for conquering Asia is mentioned only briefly, and in a vaguely positive manner. To be fair, Narushima does strive to give the film an anti-war message, with an atmosphere of doom and fatalism pervading the proceedings and by highlighting Yamamoto's ultimate apparent aim of peace and of guaranteeing the survival of Japan, though in spite of all the talk of honour and of protecting the common people, it's hard not to see it as having an air of self-justification.

Understandably, this will turn some viewers off Admiral Yamamoto, a risk the film was always going to run when taking such an approach to this kind of subject matter. This aside, for those unconcerned by potential readings of its aims and politics, the film stands as a worthy and very watchable historical biopic, well-crafted by Narushima Izuru and anchored by Yakusho Koji's fine work in the lead.

by James Mudge - EasternKicks.com