L'ange rouge

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).

This is the story of Nurse Sakura Nishi, who is a young army nurse sent to field hospitals in China during the Sino-Japanese war. There she sees the atrocities of war, sometimes by her own people. She has a conscience (after being raped, she reports it and that soldier Sakamoto goes back to the front. Not much later, he is wounded and she tries to save his life. It is a great scene). There are amputations at will in these makeshift hospitals at the request of Dr. Okabe, whom Nurse Nishi falls in love with. That is perfectly believable, this is a time of war. Ayako Wakao, who is a great actress, plays Nurse Nishi perfectly. Her expressions at seeing all this brutality, her reactions to it are all true to life. You can only wonder what it was like to be there, she shows you. Not for the faint of heart of course, this film is grim but very gripping. Shot in glorious black and white, it depicts the horrors of war with a little light (Nurse Nishi) for all who have experienced it. Brutal but essential.

Akai Tenshi, the movie starring Ayako Wakao where she impersonates a comfort woman...errrr, a nurse who helps japanese soldiers by making sex with them for no real discernible reason and then feels bad for them dying or killing themselves again for no real reason. Oh, did I mention the fact that she magically falls in love with a surgeon with whom she doesn't show any chemistry whatsoever? This movie feels more like an exploitation flick where somebody imposed to the director to not show the actual sex scenes, resulting in something extremely bizzarre at the end of the day. Having enjoyed a lot of the works of this director and especially the feminist-leaning A Wife Confesses made five years prior to this thing, I am shocked and infuriated that he produced this crap. Well shot crap, but crap nonetheless. I might try to rewatch it in the future, but it's not on the priority list.

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.

Red Angel is a very interesting and strange movie which could make the staunchest warmonger into a pacifist with bloody sights that might delight Mexican/American director Robert Rodriguez. A beautiful, sensual nurse named Nishi battles the 1939 war in China and her own repulsion to its inhuman violence by making love to an amputee and falling in love with a drug-addicted doctor. Be ready for the screams of surgery with no anesthetic and the sight of saws being used to cut off limbs. A little soft core, a lot of action, enough blood to make you happy the film is in black and white. Still . . . it's always worthwhile to take a look at the world through another culture's eyes.