Akai tenshi

A very underrated masterful piece of art. This is my kind of film. It analyses, dissect, and expose the human psyche. There is no good and bad in the film, you make up your mind about that. There is no unblemished hero character in the film; only ordinary people doing extraordinary actions in unique circumstances. The film illustrates the beauty of human heart. Even though the film is Japanese, it doesn't do what the traditional Hollywood films do in war films involving America; the film, in respect of the war issue is neutral. It uses the war as a background to the main concepts addressed by the film. However, the war aspect is not entirely neglected, rather it is dealt with from a neutral perspectives.

A bleak and exceptionally well-made anti-war movie, Red Angel is surprisingly bold for a movie that's as old as it is. It goes to some fairly extreme places when it comes to the violence, the intensity of some of its sexual themes, and its depiction of drug addiction. It's definitely not a good time, but much of the shocking stuff here is in service of a well-executed statement on the horrors, tragedies, and inherent madness of war.

There are some elements here that feel a little questionable, and I can see some of the decisions the main character makes (especially in the first half) turning some people off, but I still think the strengths of Red Angel far outweight the weaknesses or shortcomings. It wasn't ideal Friday night viewing, but it is a film I am glad I saw (though will probably never see again, owing to how persistently traumatic it was).

Sakura Nishi is a new Japanese nurse when she arrives at an army hospital in China during the war in 1939. She quickly encounters the reality of war and the types of physical and mental injuries inflicted along with the medical staff and soldiers she meets.

This is a very dark drama although it lightens the mood for a couple of scenes. There is a definite feeling of realism. It does not pull any punches regarding the realism including some gruesome and violent episodes. Not for the squeamish.

Director Yasuzo Masumura is a legend in Japanese cinema and this is an example of his brilliant filmmaking. The cast is all first-rate. Ayako Wakao who plays Nurse Nishi is outstanding as usual, one of my favorite actresses and is totally believable in this role adding to the realism. Shinsuke Ashida plays Dr. Okabe and was perfect in the role.

I really hate to rate a movie 10 out of 10 but I can't say a single minute of this film was uninteresting. I did feel I had to catch my breath when it was over as it hits very hard. You don't have to be a fan of Japanese movies to watch. It is just that good.

Coming from the point of view of the country at risk of losing the war and tinged with a sense of fatalism, this is the kind of story which could've been wall to wall misery porn if the wrong director were put in charge of it. Fortunately, its emotional register turned out to be far more oblique than I expected it would. The portrayals of the characters finding solace from their desperate situations by getting as much out of their relationships with each other as possible resonated really well with me. Though you might not be able to control your fate, the least you can do is attempt to alleviate your fears of meeting it. This aspect isn't glossed over, nor does it overshadow the depressing parts of the film. The film instead does a good job at balancing hope and despair. Even the Stockholm syndrome bits don't feel problematic since the desperation of the characters are made as clear as day.

Extremely tough little b/w gem from director, Masumura. It's 1939 and the Japanese are fighting in China, to not very much effect. We follow the efforts of those in field hospitals desperately trying to pick up the pieces when each load of war injured is raced back from the front line. Limbs are sawn off and bullets removed, all without aesthetic but plenty of blood and screams. Amid it all our heroine struggles to recover from her early rape by patients and the requests of the desperate and dying. This movie is so well put together that it is only afterwards you wonder just how that scene where she allows the handless man to feel her with his feet or make her senior a 'man again', without it seeming incongruous within this tale of death and destruction. With the blatant misogynism, nudity, explicit surgery, bondage, drug taking and even cross dressing, not to mention the inherent criticism of the Japanese stance, it is a wonder this film got made, distributed and survived. Important and enthralling film.