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Tora! Tora! Tora!
1970 144 min Japan, United States of America G 12+
★7.3
War, History, Drama
Director: Richard Fleischer, Kinji Fukasaku, Toshio Masuda
Trailers
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EN
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Description
In the summer of 1941, the United States and Japan seem on the brink of war after constant embargos and failed diplomacy come to no end. "Tora! Tora! Tora!", named after the code words used by the lead Japanese pilot to indicate they had surprised the Americans, covers the days leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor, which plunged America into the Second World War.
Budget:
$25.49M
Worldwide:
$37.15M
Starring
Martin Balsam
Actor
Sô Yamamura
Actor
Jason Robards
Actor
Awards
Academy Awards 1971
— Best Visual Effects
Academy Awards 1971
— Best Production Design
Academy Awards 1971
— Best Sound
Academy Awards 1971
— Best Visual Effects
Academy Awards 1971
— Best Cinematography
Key opinion
Tora! Tora! Tora! is widely praised as a rigorous, documentary-style reconstruction of the Pearl Harbor attack that avoids typical Hollywood melodrama. While the film is lauded for its historical detail and technical achievements, some viewers find its methodical, dialogue-heavy pace to be tedious until the climactic battle.
| Production | The film utilizes authentic, non-CGI aerial and naval sequences that provide a sense of scale and realism unmatched by modern digital effects. | |
| Screenplay | The collaborative Japanese-American production ensures a balanced, dual-perspective narrative that replaces fictional character-driven drama with factual historical account. | |
| Theme | The film prioritizes a factual, documentary-like reconstruction over personal sentimentality, resulting in a more clinical and educational tone. | |
| Pacing | The methodical build-up rewards viewers interested in political context and military command errors, while others find the slow tempo boring and exhausting. | |
| Adaptation | Despite a commitment to historical accuracy, critics point out specific technical inaccuracies in military hardware and staging that detract from the film's intended realism. |