Author(s): Zgamer
Location: Eagle, ID
“Ryu No Kororo"
(“Heart of the Dragon”)
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox
Produced by: Edward Zwick, Tom Engelman and Scott Kroopf
Directed by: Edward Zwick
Written by: Steve Zaillian and Jay Cocks
Release Date: December 19, 2008
Running Time: 130 minutes
Rated R for graphic war violence and language
Genre: Drama/War
Language: English and Japanese w/subtitles
Principal Cast:
Mark Wahlberg as Lt. Peter Johnson
Wes Bentley as Corporal Carl Taylor
Kazunari Ninomiya as Pvt. Tomoko
Shin Koyamada as Pvt. Masaru
Shichinosuke Nakamura as Pvt. Yoshiro
Tagline: "Honor. Dignity. Discipline. Valor. Bushido”
Synopsis: It’s 1944. Smoke parts from the midst of a battlefield. A lone German solider stands up from the rubble to observe the field of destruction around him. Bodies lie in unnatural positions, torn apart by bullets and battle wounds. He walks slowly, straining to adjust his eyes to the darkness. As he approaches a nearby building to look for water, the sun begins to rise. The beams of light begin to bring color to the carnage. Then something catches the attention of the soldier. He glances to his right to notice a strange sight among the dead bodies. A soldier dressed in an U.S. uniform. A soldier of Japanese descent.
The scene shift to one year prior. U.S. soldiers enter a Japanese interment camp located near Lone Pine, California. Lt. Peter Johnson meets with a group of young Japanese men, informing them of a new proclamation. Though the army had previously forbidden the joining of Japanese Americans into the army, they had recently announced that any eligible soldier of Japanese descent would now be allowed to join a segregated unit. This unit, the army decided, would be sent to Germany to combat the Nazis as opposed to fighting their fellow Asians in the Pacific. Eager to bring respect back to their culture and race, hundreds of men quickly enlist. This is much to the annoyance of many of the officers in Johnson’s squad, who feel that no Asians should be allowed to fight after attacking Pearl Harbor.
Over the next few months, Johnson personally watches over the new recruits as they train for combat in Europe. Though Johnson is neutral in his feelings towards the Japanese, his other officers have no problem making their hostile feelings known. One particular officer, Corporal Carl Taylor, has a strange pleasure in finding new ways to insult the recruits in order to “put them in their place”. Yet surprisingly, the recruits continue to train undaunted by the racism. This peaks Johnson’s curiosity enough to investigate.
The source of this liveliness, as Johnson finds out, comes from three privates who are inspiring their fellow recruits with the ancient Samurai tradition of Bushido. These men, Privates Tomoko, Masaru and Yoshiro, preach the principles of this “Way of the Warrior” on a daily basis as they try to keep the moral at a safe zone. However, Johnson can only understand so much of their speech due to his limited knowledge of the Japanese language. As their tour of duty approaches, Johnson can do nothing but hope that this idea would help his squad face the horrors to come. What he doesn’t know is that it would be Bushido that would lead the 442nd Regimental Combat Team into becoming one of the most decorated units in U.S. Army history.
What the press would say:
Many people have never heard of the exploits of the 442nd. Why wouldn’t they? All that the public wants to see are true-blooded Americans doing their duty to make their country proud. Then again, with so many backgrounds and ethnicities in our society, who’s to say that one person is more American than the other? The 442nd proved they could be just as patriotic as any white man, with as many decorations and medals awarded as casualties taken. And only a man like Edward Zwick could shed light onto this neglected piece of U.S. history in such a professional way. As expected, the usual gizmos and tricks associated with his films are here. The cinematography is stunning and the grittiness of war is consistently present. As opposed to subjecting the viewer to a barrage of non-stop violence, the combat is well timed and used efficiently to balance out the drama. The sound is top notch and the editing is seamless. However, there is something deeper than technology in this movie.
At first glance, “Bushido” seems like an ordinary war film on many aspects. It has a large cast of unknowns, brutal battle scenes and a gritty mood to show the horror of war in its fullest. However, “Bushido” is not your average war movie. There are no cocky white soldiers itching to go to battle or contrived melodramatic subplots of their lives at home. This film deals with a soldier that never truly gets their time in the spotlight: the American minority. Unlike the usual stereotypes, these vulnerable human beings are given a depth that goes beyond their cultural background. From their grueling training to their heroic rescue operation at the Battle of Bruyeres, these men truly serve their country with honor and bravery. The fact that they had one of the highest casualty rates in the war also adds some depth to their heroics. Only a director with Zwick’s experience could create such situations and characters.
And such characters could not be so real without the great actors behind them. As one of the few white Americans in the group, Mark Walberg gives a wonderful and down to earth performance as the commander of the troops. While his character is fictional, his motives and depth are not. A great actor to hold up a great war movie, just like Tom Hanks in “Saving Private Ryan”. And let’s not forget about our foreign friends. Each of the Asian actors big and small are convincing and real, but it’s Kazunari Ninomiya, who made a splash in the States with “Letters From Iwo Jima”, who steals the show as the optimistic and traditional soldier. His calm demeanor and wise-beyond-his-years attitude are exactly what the modern samurai would have been like.
“Letters From Iwo Jima” opened the path for a new way of seeing the enemy. Now “Bushido” has come to give an entirely new view on our own soldiers.
Award Possibilities
Best Picture (Edward Zwick, Tom Engelman and Scott Kroopf)
Best Director (Edward Zwick)
Best Actor (Mark Wahlberg)
Best Supporting Actor (Kazunari Ninomiya)
Best Original Screenplay (Steve Zaillian and Jay Cocks)
Best Cinematography (John Toll)
Best Editing (Steven Rosenblum)
Best Sound Design
Best Sound Editing
Best Original Score (James Newton Howard)
Location: Eagle, ID
“Ryu No Kororo"
(“Heart of the Dragon”)
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox
Produced by: Edward Zwick, Tom Engelman and Scott Kroopf
Directed by: Edward Zwick
Written by: Steve Zaillian and Jay Cocks
Release Date: December 19, 2008
Running Time: 130 minutes
Rated R for graphic war violence and language
Genre: Drama/War
Language: English and Japanese w/subtitles
Principal Cast:
Mark Wahlberg as Lt. Peter Johnson
Wes Bentley as Corporal Carl Taylor
Kazunari Ninomiya as Pvt. Tomoko
Shin Koyamada as Pvt. Masaru
Shichinosuke Nakamura as Pvt. Yoshiro
Tagline: "Honor. Dignity. Discipline. Valor. Bushido”
Synopsis: It’s 1944. Smoke parts from the midst of a battlefield. A lone German solider stands up from the rubble to observe the field of destruction around him. Bodies lie in unnatural positions, torn apart by bullets and battle wounds. He walks slowly, straining to adjust his eyes to the darkness. As he approaches a nearby building to look for water, the sun begins to rise. The beams of light begin to bring color to the carnage. Then something catches the attention of the soldier. He glances to his right to notice a strange sight among the dead bodies. A soldier dressed in an U.S. uniform. A soldier of Japanese descent.
The scene shift to one year prior. U.S. soldiers enter a Japanese interment camp located near Lone Pine, California. Lt. Peter Johnson meets with a group of young Japanese men, informing them of a new proclamation. Though the army had previously forbidden the joining of Japanese Americans into the army, they had recently announced that any eligible soldier of Japanese descent would now be allowed to join a segregated unit. This unit, the army decided, would be sent to Germany to combat the Nazis as opposed to fighting their fellow Asians in the Pacific. Eager to bring respect back to their culture and race, hundreds of men quickly enlist. This is much to the annoyance of many of the officers in Johnson’s squad, who feel that no Asians should be allowed to fight after attacking Pearl Harbor.
Over the next few months, Johnson personally watches over the new recruits as they train for combat in Europe. Though Johnson is neutral in his feelings towards the Japanese, his other officers have no problem making their hostile feelings known. One particular officer, Corporal Carl Taylor, has a strange pleasure in finding new ways to insult the recruits in order to “put them in their place”. Yet surprisingly, the recruits continue to train undaunted by the racism. This peaks Johnson’s curiosity enough to investigate.
The source of this liveliness, as Johnson finds out, comes from three privates who are inspiring their fellow recruits with the ancient Samurai tradition of Bushido. These men, Privates Tomoko, Masaru and Yoshiro, preach the principles of this “Way of the Warrior” on a daily basis as they try to keep the moral at a safe zone. However, Johnson can only understand so much of their speech due to his limited knowledge of the Japanese language. As their tour of duty approaches, Johnson can do nothing but hope that this idea would help his squad face the horrors to come. What he doesn’t know is that it would be Bushido that would lead the 442nd Regimental Combat Team into becoming one of the most decorated units in U.S. Army history.
What the press would say:
Many people have never heard of the exploits of the 442nd. Why wouldn’t they? All that the public wants to see are true-blooded Americans doing their duty to make their country proud. Then again, with so many backgrounds and ethnicities in our society, who’s to say that one person is more American than the other? The 442nd proved they could be just as patriotic as any white man, with as many decorations and medals awarded as casualties taken. And only a man like Edward Zwick could shed light onto this neglected piece of U.S. history in such a professional way. As expected, the usual gizmos and tricks associated with his films are here. The cinematography is stunning and the grittiness of war is consistently present. As opposed to subjecting the viewer to a barrage of non-stop violence, the combat is well timed and used efficiently to balance out the drama. The sound is top notch and the editing is seamless. However, there is something deeper than technology in this movie.
At first glance, “Bushido” seems like an ordinary war film on many aspects. It has a large cast of unknowns, brutal battle scenes and a gritty mood to show the horror of war in its fullest. However, “Bushido” is not your average war movie. There are no cocky white soldiers itching to go to battle or contrived melodramatic subplots of their lives at home. This film deals with a soldier that never truly gets their time in the spotlight: the American minority. Unlike the usual stereotypes, these vulnerable human beings are given a depth that goes beyond their cultural background. From their grueling training to their heroic rescue operation at the Battle of Bruyeres, these men truly serve their country with honor and bravery. The fact that they had one of the highest casualty rates in the war also adds some depth to their heroics. Only a director with Zwick’s experience could create such situations and characters.
And such characters could not be so real without the great actors behind them. As one of the few white Americans in the group, Mark Walberg gives a wonderful and down to earth performance as the commander of the troops. While his character is fictional, his motives and depth are not. A great actor to hold up a great war movie, just like Tom Hanks in “Saving Private Ryan”. And let’s not forget about our foreign friends. Each of the Asian actors big and small are convincing and real, but it’s Kazunari Ninomiya, who made a splash in the States with “Letters From Iwo Jima”, who steals the show as the optimistic and traditional soldier. His calm demeanor and wise-beyond-his-years attitude are exactly what the modern samurai would have been like.
“Letters From Iwo Jima” opened the path for a new way of seeing the enemy. Now “Bushido” has come to give an entirely new view on our own soldiers.
Award Possibilities
Best Picture (Edward Zwick, Tom Engelman and Scott Kroopf)
Best Director (Edward Zwick)
Best Actor (Mark Wahlberg)
Best Supporting Actor (Kazunari Ninomiya)
Best Original Screenplay (Steve Zaillian and Jay Cocks)
Best Cinematography (John Toll)
Best Editing (Steven Rosenblum)
Best Sound Design
Best Sound Editing
Best Original Score (James Newton Howard)
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