Puraido: Unmei no toki

This movie delivers the accurate story of Tojo Hideki's fight in the Tokyo trial with beautiful camera work and superb acting, and offers a human look to the vilified prime minister of the Eastern Asian Empire after the end of the War. The movie is well-documented and follows the perspectives of the former prime minister, Judge R.M. Pal, and a soldier. This movie has very little action as most of the story unfolds in a law court. However, Tojo's struggle to have a fair fight while knowing he will most likely be sentenced to death, and that people resent him both for waging the war and having lost it, provides a strong historical drama. The title translates to Pride: the moment of truth.

This movie was a huge hit in Japan when it was released in 1998, but created a storm of controversy in other parts of the world because it allegedly portrayed Japan's World War II prime minister Tojo as a devoted nationalist and family man, while the rest of the world perceived him as a dictator devoted to making war against the West. One problem with the movie is that it's too long, but the cast is great, especially the Japanese actors. One miscast performance though is Ronny Cox as the Australian judge. Cox is too American for a role like this. It would have been better if they had put an Australian actor like Bryan Brown in the role.

Was Hideki Tojo the bad guy portrayed in American wartime propaganda? Was he as evil as Hitler or merely portrayed that way? Were the Tokyo war crimes trials mere show trials? Was there (and is there) a double standard? This lengthy and carefully researched picture makes you think. The truth likely is somewhere in the middle. But it is fascinating to view events from a genuine Japanese perspective. Revisionism? Deconstruction? Not really. It is a reasonable presentation of the other side of the story. Quite apart from its superb acting and technical excellence, it is a THINKING film that challenges conventional wisdom. Not likely to turn up on American television anytime in the next century because it shatters the mom's apple pie myth. Interesting that the Japanese saw fit to do this film yet no Italian movie maker has yet done a sympathetic treatment of Mussolini nor have the Germans nor anybody else ever portrayed Hitler as anything but an evil tyrant. Apparently Tojo was different. If you can find this film, watch it. It may anger you. It may confuse you. But it will definitely CHALLENGE you.

The best movie of Tsugawa Masahiko, he was excellent in this movie...Now the big question why I can't find this movie in any place in USA?...Maybe this movie is a question to the United States because the result of this trial after two atomic bombs in Japan? I dont know what is the answer to this question but I will appreciate so much if somebody has a reasonable answer.

Thank you,