Watches
December 16, 2023
Zeze made a pretty decent war drama, but if he'd simply stopped 20-25 minutes earlier, it would've been even better. There's too much unnecessary melodrama at the end, which also extends the film well beyond the 120-minute mark. This is one of those cases where less would've been more.
Hatao Yamamoto is captured during a mission in Russia, and together with a bunch of other soldiers he's kept there as a war prisoner, even after the war has ended. He works in a camp, sitting out a 25-year sentence. Still, Yamamoto is certain he'll be reunited with his wife and kids while doing his best to keep up other people's morale.
The first 75% of the film is pretty solid, thanks to a splendid cast and a less talked-about topic (Zeze has a knack for that). It's still a pretty basic POW drama, just one of the better ones I've seen. It's a shame the conclusion is drawn out well beyond its stretching point, while also becoming overly sappy. This film deserved a better ending.