Review of Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983) by Bill S — 23 Mar 2015
A drama about English/Australian prisoners-of-war in Japan that feels more like "Inherent Vice" than "Unbroken". It's hard to piece together, and there are lots of (un?)intentionally funny moments that break the effect the movie has at times.
Combined with a strange flashback to David Bowie's character's childhood that doesn't really add to the overall effect of the movie, this is a weird watch. There are some good shots (though the editing is shoddy in places), and the performances are strong.
The themes are nice, too, and the Japanese aren't painted in an evil light (assumedly the fact that the director was Japanese had something to do with this). Hard to sit through, though, and a bit of a tonal mess.
Surprisingly, I didn't like it as much as "Unbroken".
This review of Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983) was written by Bill S on 23 Mar 2015.
Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence has generally received positive reviews.
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