Review of Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) by Grant S — 26 Jan 2016

Superb, accurate depiction of the attack that brought the US and Japan into WW2.

"7 December, 1941, a day that will live in infamy"... This movie tells the story of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the attack that made WW2 a truly global war, and changed the tide of the war for Britain and its allies. We don't just see the attack itself but also ongoing diplomatic efforts of Japan and the US before the attack, the planning and preparation by the Japanese, the attempts by the US to forespell such an attack, the blunders by the US in warning their forces in Hawaii, the ill-preparedness of the local forces and the blunders in communication on the day. And, of course, we see the attack itself.

Thus, a very complete account of what lead to the attack, and the attack itself.

Incredibly well made, especially for its time. No CGI, so the producers had to use actual ships and planes or, at least, very realistic mock-ups thereof. The scale of the action scenes is immense and the scenes very realistic.

Historically accurate too in terms of the events that took place behind the scenes.

Quite balanced too - certainly not the usual one-sided good versus evil, but one nation versus another.

One of the greatest war movies ever made.