CinemaSerf

Jul 1, 2022

5.0

James Cagney is a journalist in pre-war Tokyo who gets embroiled in a tussle between the forces of Imperial aggression led by John Emery ("Tanaka") and those of peaceful conciliation headed by "Prince Tatsugu" (Frank Puglia). When the expansionists realise that Cagney is not going to play along - after bribery/threats and blackmail all fail to convince him; his very life is soon in peril - made worse once he is given a letter from the Prince that his opponents need back at all costs. Made at the end of WWII, it is a pretty obvious slice of propaganda, though it is tempered by some respect for the decent Japanese who did not want war, and it reflects their sense of "honour" in quite an interesting fashion - is it to the glory of the ancestors or just glorified cowardice? Cagney carries this pretty much single handedly. Marvin Miller is quite menacing as the dastardly "Yamada" too, but Sylvia Sidney as the plotting "Iris" doesn't remotely carry off her task as a scheming double-dealer and Rhys Williams ought to have stuck to his more jovial roles - he never could carry off meatier parts. The budget went on the star, the technical aspects of this leave quite a bit to be desired. It's a straight-up goodies v baddies film and nothing more complex than that...