Review of Philosophy of a Knife (2008) by Tay L — 20 Aug 2010

Philosophy of A Knife is part documentary and part feature that portrays the terrifying and shocking truth about Unit 731.

Unit 731 was a group of Japanese scientists and chemical engineers during World War II that carried out many grotesque experiments and tortures to their "subjects" to see how some of the chemicals they were using result in. And the result is horrendous and unbearable.

Although this is part of the WWII history the Japanese try to hide, there have been plenty of articles and documentaries about this experimental group. Now you're asking where does this movie come in? Well as I've stated, there have been documentaries about this dark and deep secret the Japanese tried to hide. But what they NEVER showed was the portrayal of the true horror that actually was carried out. By that I mean the tortures and obscene experiments these scientists and chemical engineers have done to their subjects. And that's where this movie comes in; this movie portrays the horrific nature of the excruciating tortures they did to their test subjects.

This movie, although is a history piece, isn't really the movie for fans of World War II films. If you want good World War II films, then stick to Saving Private Ryan, Stalingrad, Letters from Iwo Jima, Flags of Our Father, Downfall, or even Inglorious Basterds. This movie is specifically targeted to the gorehounds and fans of splatterfests. If you want a normal documentary about Unit 731, stay away from this one. If you have a weak stomach and can't handle grotesque torture scenes, stay away from this film. But if you're craving a hardcore gorefest that is just "GORETASTIC", this movie is just for you.

I'm pretty sure you guys already know this if you've looked up about this film, but this movie is about four hours long. So I'd say take a break after 2 hours and come back to see the rest after a long intermission, unless you're willing to watch this movie all the way through without a pause or a break.

This movie is definitely one of the most gruesome films out there, that belongs on the same list as Cannibal Holocaust, Martyrs, A Serbian Film, and even Takashi Miike films.