Blutiger Schwur

Bryan Brown portrays a military lawyer prosecuting the garrison of a Japanese POW camp where 800 Aussie soldiers were killed during World War Two. Of course the whole notion of a war crimes trial is totally ridiculous, but director Stephen Wallace ignores the built-in ambiguities of the post-war legal inquisition to offer, instead, a holy crusade against the enemies of freedom, with enough courtroom histrionics to make Perry Mason blush: emotional outbursts; surprise witnesses; flashback re-enactments and so forth. The script makes no attempt to understand the enemy: most of the Japanese are inscrutable monsters, led by George Takei, who gets star billing with a five-minute walk-on role, presumably to lure the unwary Trekkie into seeing the film. The other villains are (predictably) the American overlords, represented by Terry O'Quinn, wearing sinister Douglas Macarthur-style sunglasses and making ominous references to a New World Order. The film is based on a true story, but the subject of war crimes and punishment deserves a deeper, more substantial treatment than this handsome, high-minded piece of fluff.

This film is well made and well cast. The story-line is fairly easy to follow and has just the right amount of action. However, in places the action can be somewhat heavy... although this can only really be expected of a film on this theme. If you like war-time court-room dramas then you will enjoy this film. It is not predictable and the characters are believable.

There's an underlying factor about the design of a film like "Prisoners of the Sun" that doesn't allow for much leeway or originality. Much like similar films in this vein, the clichéd factors are unavoidable. There's to be the prosecutor with anger issues, the stoic (and typically un-convictable) evil leader, and finally, the sacrificial lamb.

So, as it is with "Breaker Morant", the quality lies directly with those actors involved. Don't be fooled by Russell Crowe's recent high billing - he is certainly not a star. In fact, he is very nearly unnoticeable amidst the larger happenings around him. The main standout performances belong to Bryan Brown and John Polson. Polson, certainly, gives a lot to the role. He is broken, nervous and jumpy, and highly convincing.

The development is rather predictable, I suppose, but the acting manages to carry it through. Overall, this is a good film - not great, but well considered.

RATING: 6.9 out of 10

Bryan Brown is a lawyer prosecuting Japanese Officers and Soldiers for war crimes committed on Australian prisoners.

However, all his witnesses are either dead or have been sent home and all the records have been destroyed.

This is a very absorbing video with good acting from everyone.

Makes you wonder if there are ever any winners in war or does one side just lose more than the other.

There is a video for this film and it is a good one. The story, a post WW2 investigation of atrocities committed against allied prisoners of war by the Japanese Imperial Army, is a gripping one with an ironic twist. George Takei, the lovable Sulu from the old Star Trek plays a first class slime. Bryant Brown is dynamic (isn't he always) and there are other excellent performances turned in by Japanese actors Tetsu Watanabe and Toshi Shioya. This is not a film for the faint of heart. The story line often presented in flashback is tense and intense. The final scenes with their political agendized justice leaves all us with much to ponder. An excellent film in many respects. A wrenching portrait of a terrible time in our history. Check it out.