The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity

Meet Kaji. Kaji is Jesus, trapped in a movie that would have had a greater impact, if you hadn't watched 'Full Metal Jacket' first. Kaji is now superhuman, with a stoic sense of dignity, as he takes on the horrors of the fascist Japanese army from within. If you're watching the trilogy as one movie, this is the point where you start to wonder, how much more of Kaji's indignated stare you can really take. Also: Meet Kobayashi, who couldn't direct a war scene to save his life.

...and of course Japan is not Hollywood, but this ain't exactly Godzilla), but I think this trilogy was produced for similar reasons. It had to be said: not all Japanese thought the rape of Nanking was such a hot idea, either. Nobody believes me when I tell them that a movie like this is not boring. Well... it's not. It would be more accurate to say it is *exhausting*. That is... there's always a lot happening in these movies... {to be continued in reviewspace of _Human Condition III_}

Somewhat tediously one-note: the dehumanizing brutality of the military is beaten into your head almost as much as the soldiers beat each other on the head (which is a LOT in this movie). The slight shift in gears towards the end is welcome, but the first half really could have used some trimming down. The repetition prevents this film from matching the emotional intensity of the first one, but the performances are excellent, the photography is inspired, and Kaji is a hero worth rooting for.

Focusing on Kaji's ill-fated enrolment into the army, this second act becomes less nuanced, as the obvious hatred towards the authoritarian system gets the most attention. As such Kaji's development throughout becomes more fatalistic and he is depicted more of a martyr than previous. It's still an engaging drama though, and it's beautifully and dynamic shot.

Kaji's descent continues, as he continues to fight a losing battle in trying to maintain a sense of morality and honor in a dehumanizing, brutal military, and his sense of hope is further weakened. Like the first installment, I felt this dragged its feet during the first half, but in the end it adds up to something very powerful, and the closing battle scene is very captivating, with a hell of a slam-bang ending.

The second part of this film trilogy is where it really starts to click for me. That's not to say I didn't like part 1, I thought it was extremely well made with a really masterful performance by Tatsuya Nakadai, but the film's story about humanely administering a mining operation felt very much like the set up for something greater. It is ... this second part, which directly confronts the inability of a caring person to exist within authoritarian structures is really masterful.

I said the first part of the trilogy reminded me of Paths of Glory. This one does too, but now it also reminds me of Full Metal Jacket. I wonder if this director and Kubrick influenced each other among all their thematically-similar movies.

Structured similarly to part I. This time military practices don't live up to Kaji's morals. It's a perfectly adequate WW2 flick with moments of greatness (the resolution of the suicide attempt scene). Kobayashi couldn't stage a bad shot if he tried. Good.

There's a 1½ hour masterpiece in here somewhere, but it's way too padded. Still, a handful of brilliant scenes make it worth the trudge. It also looks every bit as good as its predecessor.

Part deux: Humanist goes army style. Again not without a certain amount of trouble. Less nuanced than the first part but still a solid look at how humanist ideals have hard time in the army of a loosing nation. The battle scene in the end could have used a little more oomph.

It becomes clear that you should expect this to go nowhere but into deeper levels of despair. Kaji begins to experience the horrors of war first-hand and as he's pushed to the breaking point, he starts to question his own morals. I was impressed by how Kobayashi manages to portray war as a completely harrowing experience without depicting any battles, at least until the film's riveting finale.

While the melodrama ramps up a little here, so do the stakes. The overly authoritarian military doesn't take too kindly to our pacifist hero. He winds up fighting two wars -- one for his country, which we see in the powerful last hour, and one for his soul, which also certainly takes a beating. Favorite scene, though, had to be with the martinet head nurse.

Kaji is too perfect in this entry, in the first film he had flaws that made him an interesting character but here he just came off as obnoxiously preachy even if I agreed with him.

One thing I really enjoy about these movies is the very formal cinematography (with excellent blocking) and how stylised shots are reserved for important moments so they really mean something. It’s a single technique but Kobayashi employs it as well as anyone I’ve ever seen. Overall this was about the same as the first one for me, a bit too repetitive especially in the first half but with some real standout scenes and the overall arc of Kaji’s decay is fascinating.

If you are not poisoned by the cinematic norms of Hollywood, this could be the most impressing war film of all time for you.

É por isso que sempre digo: tudo que o ocidente faz, o oriente já fez antes e melhor - digo isso porque a primeira parte desse filme foi refeito na primeira metade de Full Metal Jacket e se o último filme manter a qualidade dos dois primeiros, não estarei apenas diante da melhor série de cinema de todos os tempos, mas também o maior filme de guerra, sorry Apocalypse Now. Box Obras-primas do Cinema Trilogia Guerra e Humanidade filme #2.

cool battle scenes but the whole thing is still a little too old fashioned and melodramatic for me

I think I liked the first part of the trilogy a little better, but in terms of quality, this one is just as good. Parts of it really reminded me of Full Metal Jacket (1987). The direction and cinematography is still beautiful, and the great melodrama and emotion is still there, too. As with the previous part, the ending was particularly powerful.

From masterpiece to a poorly directed war scene tying the knot between the themes and ideas too forcibly. Part 2 has better direction and the same powerful message, but still has flaws in its construction of an efficient and coherent network of variables to subtly guide the message through. The nurse relationship wants to introduce doubt of a slow decay of Kaji's integrity and the fighting scenes with vets reinforce its overal message, but the former is meandering and the latter too repetitive.

(2nd viewing, 1st: 90)

At the time this film was made, only 14 years had elapsed since the end of WWII. This second film in the series, and most definitely the final film must have opened a lot of old wounds and pissed off a lot of the old guard, samurai warrior class in Japan. Kobayashi trashes every facet of the militaristic and bushido doctrine, painting the military hierarchy as lecherous, thieving marionettes.

Rating the trilogy as a whole - it really is greater than the sum of its parts, and pulls you in deeper and deeper as it moves along.

Kobayashi carries the same directorial diligence onto the second part of his trilogy, but I regret to say it's a lesser work. In the first part, we've already seen war's amorality chip away at Kaji's idealism. Here he seems to reboot. The setting is different, but again he tries to be humane and again the war machine resists him. The drama is less convincing, and with everyone an Imperial soldier this time (no Chinese POWs) it's harder to sympathize. I sort of rooted for the Russians.

Kaji's martyrdom becomes more fatalistic and explicit and the plot more messy. This is the lesser act in the 9 hour epic, but it's still very moving and engaging.

More of a war film than the first one, but no less great. Intense and well paced with great characters and sharp critiques. Kaji's character is one of the best I've ever seen. Despite only a limited amount of his background being presented to us, his inner conflicts are so well developed and the performance so great that he's endlessly captivating and provides a lot to consider.

Giving the same score & review for each part, because it's really one long movie that only works if viewed together in sequence.

In Part II of Kobayashi's trilogy, the humanist Kaji is drafted into the army and comes into conflict with brutal officers who seem more intent on slapping their own guys around than winning a war.

The drawn-out melodrama is getting a bit too much - I guess you can see it's based on an epic best-seller. Kobayashi's direction is still great, and the ending is quite compelling.

My score is for all three parts combined.