Kaji, sent to the Japanese army labeled Red, witnesses cruelties in the army and revolts against the abusive treatment against a fellow recruit. He also sees his friend Shinjô defecting to the Russian border, and he ends in the front to fight a lost battle against the Russian tanks division.
Acting
Nakadai's face contains multitudes of barely contained rage.
Direction
Kobayashi shoots war as bureaucratic horror, not glory.
Cinematography
Endless tracking shots through mud and moral collapse.
Director
Masaki Kobayashi
Tatsuya Nakadai
Kaji
Michiyo Aratama
Michiko
Kokinji Katsura
Sasa Nitôhei
Jun Tatara
Hino Jun'i
Michirō Minami
Yoshida Jôtôhei
Kei Satō
Shinjô Ittôhei
Kunie Tanaka
Obara Nitôhei
Ryōhei Uchida
Hashitani Gunsô
Kan Yanagiya
Tanoue Nitôhei
Kenjiro Uemura
Bannai Jôtôhei
Kaneko Iwasaki
Tokunaga Kangofu
Mayumi Kurata
Obara no Tsuma
Taketoshi Naitō
Tange Ittôhei
Yoshirō Aoki
Sergeant Soga
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
JP
