‘Masterpiece’ WW2 epic is ‘one of the most underrated war films ever’ | Films | Entertainment

A lesser-known World War 2 film from the perspective of the Japanese army is hailed by one fan as an “incredible epic”. The Battle of Okinawa/ Gekidō no Shōwashi: Okinawa Kessen (1971) is a war drama from the Japanese perspective that depicts the Battle of Okinawa, “a massive amphibious assault by US troops that left more than 150,000 Japanese civilians dead”, according to Mubi’s synopsis.

The brutal action is captured in a quasi-documentary style that heightens the realism of the often shocking action sequences. The film was directed by Kihachi Okamoto, with a screenplay by Kaneto Shindo and Ryōzō Kasahara. Fans have showered the forgotten classic with praise.

One in a comment on Mubi wrote: “So much for the great war. Another masterpiece of bleakness, violence and torment from the director who best understood that violence belongs on the screen, not in our lives.”

A fan writing on IMDb said: “Little known but impressively detailed and completely uncompromising depiction of the battle of Okinawa from the Japanese perspective.

“I think it deserves a re-release or more exposure, because as an anti-war film, it’s very impressive, and even ahead of its time.

“American war films were still a fair way off from showing war in a truly hellish manner at this point in film history- there’s a real misery in this one that prevents any battle scenes from being fun or exciting to watch, even if there is a degree of spectacle due to the relatively high budget.”

Another said: “The Battle of Okinawa is an incredible epic, one of exhaustive and continual bombardment that takes no prisoners leaving the camera smeared with blood by its dramatic end.”

Collider ranked the film second among the 10 most underrated war films of all time.

The outlet described it as “one of the most nightmarish and deeply haunting war movies of all time, but those up for the challenge of watching it ought to check it out, as it truly is something great”.

One viewer on Letterboxed warned that it is “exceedingly violent and grim and pulls no punches when it comes to the battle it portrays; even by war film standards it’s a lot to take in (especially the copious amount of suicides), and I’m not particularly squeamish as it is”.

The Battle of Okinawa doesn’t appear to be available on any streaming services in the UK, and it doesn’t appear to be available to buy on DVD for Region 2 (which covers the UK).

Those who wish to see it may need to buy the DVD from another territory online and play it on a multi-region DVD player, or wait for a theatrical screening.

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