The Last Bullet

i have just seen this film on movies for men channel on sky t.v. , i would have missed it but by luck i stumbled across it . i never even knew that jason donovan had made this movie ,but think he done a excellent job . i won,t spoil it buy telling the plot and ruining it for anyone , but if you like me enjoy war movies , especially the classics , then this movie will be a pleasant surprise for you . it is as you will see low budget , but the acting is great and the story very well thought out and engrossing , and it was not one that i could predict the end easily , which this day and age happens often , the action is quite bloody in places so not for watching with any children around really , but in a realistic way not just a gore fest for the sake of it , it is a realistic and powerful story and a little gem from our Australian cousins , i think they should be given a lot more credit for there movies especially when they really are this good , as i said before it is well worth a watch and far better than i thought it would be , i am now off to order it on DVD to add to my collection , i think you could do a lot worse for a good war story especially as good world war two movies are few and far between especially in the jungle warfare of borneo i would give it 8/10 .

--Feb 2003--

My favorite WWII movie. Period. There are many contenders for the WWII title and this one takes it without much dispute. I keep it next to Lawrence of Arabia.

While I am a fan of war movies (along side a couple of other select genres) nothing makes me hate war more than this movie. It is perfect.

Somewhat reminiscent of Hell in the Pacific with its mano-a-mano style.

--Oct 2013 edit--

Looking back at this film years later it is, admittedly, hard to still call it may favorite WWII movie. Band of Brothers/The Pacific, Flags of Our Fathers/Letters from Iwo Jima, and maybe some others are all very good. So what is it about this film that grabs me (or used to grab me)?

The replay value is not all that great. This is not a film that you could probably sell your friends on at a movie party. I gave the film 10 stars perhaps mostly because I judge a film against its own budget and not against other films (and this is a low-budget film). Yet, the production quality is only pretty good, the acting is only pretty good ... everything seems to point to maybe 8 stars at best and not 10. Most of the great films I watch get an 8 or 9 with 10 going to only the truly landmark or innovative films. How is this one of those?

What it comes down to is this: I remember how moved I was when I first saw it. For that, it somehow earned two extra stars. Thus, while during replay (or some other critical viewing) it may be hard to see this value, isn't the emotional response while watching something the first time the true value of a dramatic film?

The stereotyped, ruthless, WWII Japanese warrior is well known in film. Perhaps fairly--perhaps unfairly. I have spent a bit of time researching Japanese culture and their sense of honor. I 'believe' I get the true message of a film such as Grave of the Fireflies (another great WWII movie--certainly the most depressing one) better than many Americans. The Last Bullet took me someplace wonderful in my understanding of Japanese honor: a place where it is impossible to judge which of the two main characters acted more bravely in a difficult situation. Surprising (a lot like how When the Last Sword is Drawn was another surprising film about Japanese honor). The difference between shame and honor is not always apparent--even in Japan it seems. Showing us the human struggle between shame and honor is what makes this film great.

I only watched it because I happened to turn on the TV when it started, but I got caught right away! First, I love sniper-movies. Second, the tense feeling starts the first minute, showing the australian soldiers, young, inexperienced and nervous. The sniper-parts, when the eighteen year old boy duels with the old, cool and ruthless japanese are excellent. You can sense the feel of someone aiming at your neck without being seen, and the rain and mud creates very "nice" surroundings for this all-out war. The end is surprisinging and fills you with a sense of happiness and feeling of overcoming.

I was fortunate enough to catch this film on the Sundance channel one day. It has got to be one of the most powerful WW11 movies that I have ever seen. I literally cried during the scene where he (the Japanese soldier) was flashing back to his life before the war. I just broke into tears when his daughter was stuck up in the tree, and he was below telling her to jump and trust that he would catch her. This is just wonderful filmmaking at its finest. I want to deeply express appreciation to director Michael Pattisen for such a fine exhibit.

This film is a low budget TV production and that's how it should be taken. The main reason why it got my attention is the fact that the leading role is played by the Australian singer Jason Donovan. His performance is far from outstanding but it is still pretty acceptable. The action takes place during the last days of WWII in a jungle where Australian soldiers are looking for the last surviving Japanese warriors. It so happens that after an encounter between the enemies only one man both sides survives. The rest of the movie concentrates on the lonely battle of the two soldiers, looking to get rid of the other just to finally have a chance to return home to his family. One different aspect with the film is that there is really no good and bad guy. Both sides are equal, it is just the insanity of war that has put them against themselves. It is just unfortunate that the ending of the film goes a bit on the cheesy side (well frankly even much more than just a bit). So overall a quite ok film, why not watch it if you have a chance. 6/10