07-04-2020, 10:17 PM
Netflix DVDs.
We finished it tonight. I confess, I didn't watch it all. Stepped out to get food, bathroom breaks, play with Yuki, etc. It moves slowly and methodically so skipping a bit felt inconsequential. It's a Tour de Force for Nakadai for sure. The scope of it all is mammoth. It's a painful saga however, just a continual plunge into misery. Part 2 puts Kaji on the Manchurian front and his infantry facing down a line of tanks is harrowing. Part 3 A Soldier's Prayer is Kaji's struggles after Japan has lost and his squad tries to walk home but are then put in a Russian labor camp. It's relentless in its suffering. Kaji never catches a break. There's an inordinate amount of cruelty and face slapping. The themes of fascism and communism play out with no answers. Feckin depressing but an epic achievement in cinema mostly due to its scope. It's a grim ride and I wouldn't have seen it through without Stacy's persistence. In the end, it went right where I hoped it wouldn't go.
We finished it tonight. I confess, I didn't watch it all. Stepped out to get food, bathroom breaks, play with Yuki, etc. It moves slowly and methodically so skipping a bit felt inconsequential. It's a Tour de Force for Nakadai for sure. The scope of it all is mammoth. It's a painful saga however, just a continual plunge into misery. Part 2 puts Kaji on the Manchurian front and his infantry facing down a line of tanks is harrowing. Part 3 A Soldier's Prayer is Kaji's struggles after Japan has lost and his squad tries to walk home but are then put in a Russian labor camp. It's relentless in its suffering. Kaji never catches a break. There's an inordinate amount of cruelty and face slapping. The themes of fascism and communism play out with no answers. Feckin depressing but an epic achievement in cinema mostly due to its scope. It's a grim ride and I wouldn't have seen it through without Stacy's persistence. In the end, it went right where I hoped it wouldn't go.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse