frankly i think masaki kobayashi could do no wrong . i really want to like this . damn and i even try to and tried hard . not only because kobayashi be one of my favourite director and arguably a true titan of japanese cinema any way you look at it but also because if his brand of socially mind and emotionally cathartic tragedy could make the leap from his jidaigekis set in tokugawa japan to any other genre and that would be the war drama . set in 1943 manchuria and wwii in full bloody swing and the human condition follow the trial and tribulation in occupied china of kaji and a young idealist draft in the service of the japanese army . he be transfer to the hinterland to work a a supervisor in the ore mine of the area and a place where thousand of chinese prisoner of war slave away in inhuman condition for the benefit of the japanese motherland . kaji and full of youthful optimism a he be and attempt to befriend the chinese pow in an effort to both make their living condition well but also improve their labour efficiency to appease his demand military superior . and there the movie start fall to piece . for a film clocking in at 3 hour and 20 minute and there really an awful lot of bland and generic scene where two or three character discuss the most obvious thing and feeling while not a whole lot of subtext go on and chunk of dialogue deliver right on the nose a major faux pa for any storyteller that make the story crawl to a gruelling halt . frankly and the movie be melodramatic enough to constitute somewhat of a genre anachronism while it would have make much more sense come out in 1949 instead of 1959. all this with akira kurosawa yojimbo and the movie responsible for both revolutionize the japanese period drama and action movie and bring the concept of the alienated antihero to new cynic height and only two year away . and speaking of protagonist and it kaji and the main character be call to identify with and play by samurai icon tatsuya nakadai before he be even a support actor in yojimbo and that pose the big problem . his attitude and worldview of unconditional humanism be all too naive and convenient to hit the right emotional chord . idenitifying with kaji holy than thou idealism be hard and not because people like him do not exist in real life and and i hope they do and but simply because this kind of clean cut idealist character doesn not fare well in a dramatic context . bear with me here . now every dramatic character ( and by extention his action that forward the plot ) have to be define by and root in some sort of inner conflict . in kaji case and it between work ( supervise prisoner into force labour ) and ideology ( every human be should be treat with dignity and respect ) . but his ideology bring him into direct conflict with every major japanese character in the movie while the army officer and his bos and the other supervisor people who and in no uncertain term and could have his head if they be so inclined . why kaji repeatedly go against everyone even at the risk of his life be never so much a hint at . usually some sort of character flaw force the character to take action in an effort to redeem himself . kaji only flaw be his idealism . in that sense and kaji be more of a martyr or a saint than a real and flaw human be . it only natural then that the viewer might become frustrate by his idealistic persistance and a feeling that be share ( ironically ) by his antagonist inside the movie ( the abusive supervisor and the army official ) . if this be a clever trick on kobayashi part to have u sympathize with kaji enemy ( and maybe feel bad about it ) and then i tip my hat to him . because it be do at the expense of a movie . another thing that bother me be how forced the drama felt at time . for example and near the end ( and this be no spoiler that matter ) and a chinese prostitute whose prisoner lover be execute by the japanese and throw rock at kaji and call him japanese devil . the only responsibility kaji have at the execution be that he simply couldn not prevent it from happen . he not even a military officer and just a labour supervisor . there no reason for the prostitute to throw rock at kaji instead of the real culprit . it seem to happen for no other reason than make the viewer identify with his character . his tolerance only seem to invite more abuse which only reinforce his martyric status . that not to say that thc be not without it moment of beauty . the cinematography be good throughout and with some beautiful exterior shot and certain scene and image resonate with true emotional power represent the starve body of chinese prisoner drop like fly from train wagon and the lenthy execution scene and a parade of prostitute visit the concentration camp . overall and i be very disappointed with the human condition . base on the glowing review here and i be expect a masterpiece to equal kobayashi other work from the 60 . it turn out thc be a war melodrama that might have be very popular in a devastated post war japan that be thirsty for the populist theme of humanism clash against the oppressive system and but i find it too simplistic and convenient and lack the sophistication of kobayashi true epic ( seppuku and samurai rebellion ) .