Tora! Tora! Tora! – 1970 – English

Tora! Tora! Tora! – 1970 – English – War

Tora! Tora! Tora! – 1970 – English

War film directed in 1970 by Richard Fleischer and Kinji Fukasaku, and starring Martin Balsam, Sô Yamamura, Joseph Cotten, Tatsuya Mihashi, E.G. Marshall, James Whitmore, Takahiro Tamura, Eijirô Tono, Jason Robards, Wesley Addy, Shôgo Shimada, Frank Aletter, Koreya Senda, Leon Ames, Richard Anderson, Edward Andrews, Neville Brand, George Macready, Hank Jones, Ron Masak, Randall Duk Kim, G.D. Spradlin, George Tobias…

Synopsis: This dramatic retelling of the Pearl Harbor attack details everything in the days that led up to that tragic moment in American history. As United States and Japanese relations strain over the U.S. embargo of raw materials, Air Staff Officer Minoru Genda (Tatsuya Mihashi) plans the preemptive strike against the United States. Although American intelligence agencies intercept Japanese communications hinting at the attack, they are unwilling to believe such a strike could ever occur on U.S. soil.

Review: Tora! Tora! Tora! has long been a favorite of this WW2 buff. Considering I have had 34 years to study and learn about the war since the film first was shown, I still maintain it is almost unbeatable in terms of realism and historical accuracy. An added attraction for me has always been it’s total lack of a love interest.

Tora! Tora! Tora! is not complicated by any silly love stories. While by recent standards the movie may seem slow paced and plodding, the details of the events leading up to the attack is gratifying to see and actually educational. The attack action is thrilling, well paced, and in its use of models, actual planes and other equipment,is extremely realistic with few distracting anachronisms. Be aware that this is definitely not a movie to watch if you are in a hurry.