Only the Brave (2006) Online

Historians at the Army Center for Military History in Washington struggled for words to describe what happened. It was October 30, 1944. Members of the segregated Japanese-American 442nd Regimental Combat Team, "cold, wet, weary and battle-scarred," rescued 211 Texas National Guardsmen who were surrounded by German forces in the foggy, wooded Vosges Mountains near Bruyeres, France. The First Battalion, 141st Infantry Regiment had been cut off from food, ammunition, communications and hope for a week. The 442nd, comprised of Nisei (a person born in America of parents who emigrated from Japan) from Hawaii and the West Coast of the United States was ordered in when two other battalions of the 141st had been repelled repeatedly by the enemy. After three days of devastating battle, nearly half the Japanese-American troops were dead or wounded and the "Lost Battalion" was still trapped.

"Then, something happened in the 442nd," according to the military historians. "By ones and twos, almost spontaneously and without orders, the men got to their feet and, with a kind of universal anger, moved toward the enemy position. Bitter hand-to-hand combat ensued as the Americans fought from one fortified position to the next. Finally, the enemy broke in disorder." It is this story that is at the heart of "Only the Brave," Writer/Director Lane Nishikawa's very personal film of uncommon courage, misguided prejudice and family love now playing at the Hawaii International Film Festival. It is Nishikawa's final film in a trilogy ("Sound of a Voice," 2003; "Forgotten Valor," 2001) dealing with the experience of Japanese-Americans in the Second World War. The multi-talented auteur, who has performed in a number of films but is best known as a stage actor and director, had four uncles and other extended family members who served in the 442nd or the earlier 100th Infantry Battalion (formed as the Hawaiian Provisional Battalion).

Instead of taking the wide-angle battle scene approach of a Wolfgang Peterson ("Troy"), Ridley Scott ("Kingdom of Heaven"), Oliver Stone ("Alexander') or even Steven Spielberg ("Saving Private Ryan"), Nishikawa has narrowed his focus to the points of view of his own small "band of brothers." Included in that number are Sergeant Jimmy Takata, played with grace and wisdom by the director, Glenn "Tak" Takase (Jason Scott Lee), Richard "Doc" Naganuma (Ken Narasaki), Steve "Zaki" Senzaki (Mark Dacascos), Yukio "Yuk" Nakajo (Yugi Okumoto) and Richard "Hilo" Imamura (Garett Sato). These are men who cannot see beyond their own 30mm eyes, the trees, darkness and fog that surround them, and the flares of machine guns and bursts of grenades that pound relentlessly. "Up close and personal" sounds a little trite, but that's what we get. Nishikawa shows us war just the way a soldier sees war.

He also shows us, through flashbacks, the personal side of the war on the home front. "Doc" Naganuma's wife and baby awaiting his return in an internment camp where 110,000 persons of Japanese ancestry (70,000 of whom were native-born United States citizens) sat out the war in conditions not much better than POWs. Mary Takata's (Tamlyn Tomita) struggle to reach her shell-shock husband after the peace. The mothers and fathers, wives and children whose one consolation was that their soldier-loved ones were among friends. (The dialogue is realistically grounded in the Pidgin English common to Hawaii-born people, and the banter between the soldiers sounds like something you would hear among a group of guys having a beer after work in a Wahiawa, Hawaii tavern.) The film is not without its flaws, some of them a function of the production's limited budget. It is in desperate need of a stronger score, powerfully executed with a more dynamic sound design. I saw a digital projection that needed sophisticated color correction; that can come when film prints are ultimately struck. I wish Nishikawa could re-shoot some of his early battle scenes. They are stiff and dated in their appearance as opposed to his footage later in the film when he had a stronger sense of self-confidence in getting the camera off its tripod and moving with it in a more documentary style. Watching your own dailies can be a major growing experience.

But it is a powerful and sensitive piece of work that should be seen by far more than just the California school kids who use the director's earlier films as part of their history curriculum.

Those of us who live in Hawaii understand the context of this film. Our neighbors include survivors of the 100th/442 RCB, their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. In Hawaii, where the war began for America, these men are revered. School kids can tell you of their exploits. Senator Daniel K. Inouye is recognized as much for his Congressional Medal of Honor as for his 46 years in the Congress. Sergeant Inouye was awarded the Bronze Star for his actions in the "Lost Battalion" campaign, lost ten pounds and gained a battlefield commission. Later, back in Italy, his heroism earned him one of 20 Medals of Honor conferred on 100/442 soldiers.

There should be no more respected a group of senior citizens in America than the veterans of the "Purple Heart Battalion." In eight major campaigns, they were also awarded seven Presidential Unit Citations and 18,143 individual decorations (no, that is not a typographical error; 18,143 individual medals), including 52 Distinguished Service Crosses. In that number, of course, were 9,486 Purple Hearts, for that was the total of the injuries they suffered in combat.

This is not the first film focused on the 100th/442 RCB. Van Johnson starred in 1951's "Go For Broke," a filmed titled after the motto of the battalion. In it he played Lt. Mike Grayson, who trained a Nisei platoon. The black and white film was heavily focused on Grayson, who loses his prejudices when he sees how the Japanese Americans fight in combat.

On December 7 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy raided Hawaii's Pearl Harbor and decimated the United States Navy's Pacific battleships.

Two months later, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, permitting the U.S. military to uproot thousands of West Coast Japanese and Japanese-Americans and ship them to inland interment camps.

In February of 1943, the ban on Japanese in the military was lifted and the 100th Battalion 442nd Regimental Combat Team was formed. Containing Japanese-American volunteers from Hawaii and, remarkably, from out of the mainland interment camps, the 100th/442nd was sent to Europe.

"Only The Brave" is a fictionalized account of the 100th/442nd's most famous success: the October 1944 rescue of the "Lost Battalion", the all-white "Texas" 141st, trapped behind enemy lines deep within the Vosges Mountains of France.

The movie opens during the battle for the town of Bruyeres, France. After a receiving a head wound, Sergeant Jimmy Takata (played by the film's writer and director, Lane Nishikawa) begins to "see" the memories of his dying troops. As they die, Takata also becomes a walking repository of their mementos: a signature pair of eyeglasses, a photograph of children, an engagement ring never given.

Through the Bruyeres battle and the five bloody days of desperate fighting it takes to break through the German line and rescue the 141st, Nishikawa uses Sergeant Takata as a metaphor for the quiet and proud generation of Japanese-Americans who endured life in the relocation camps, who fought in battle and who kept up the home front, but who have mostly held onto their stories. Nishikawa's moral is an old one: the release of the past brings healing for the future, but it is especially poignant given that so few of that generation remain.

Working with a limited budget and an abbreviated shooting schedule, Nishikawa wisely chose to "go small" with his shots. Each scene is personal to the viewer. Each battle is realistically chaotic without wide shots and multiple angles to give viewers their bearings. The result for the viewer is – as it is for the characters - an exhausted embrace of the story's pauses.

Nishikawa also "goes small" with his characters. The memories that haunt Takata are often short, deeply personal gut punches. The realistic pidgin banter between the "local boy" Hawaiian Japanese and the exploration of the tensions between the Hawaiian Japanese and the mainland "kotonk" Japanese are products of character development and not just tossed in for "authenticity".

Unlike many recent war films, there is little battle gore in "Only The Brave", making the infrequent bloody scenes that much more powerful.

The cast, featuring Nishikawa, Jason Scott Lee, Yuji Okumoto and Tamlyn Tomita, turn in solid performances but Pat Morita's cameo was a little wonky for me.

"Only The Brave" will definitely be worth watching when it is finally released into theaters. I was lucky enough to attend a private screening in Seattle. I'd gladly wait in line again.

I recently saw Only the Brave, and I was very impressed!

I had seen an earlier screening of this film, and although I had thought there were some very effective scenes, things didn't seem to flow together. Well, it is obvious that the director and editor have been working hard because the version that I just saw was very tight and a huge improvement over what I saw a few months ago.

I thought the combat scenes were very well done and they did a good job of conveying the amount of tension and fear that these soldiers must have been feeling. But even more so, I loved the little glimpses into the personal lives of each of these men. They helped to create fleshed out characters that the audience could have an emotional connection with.

The acting was all very strong. I liked the art direction which did a good job of making this film a step back in time to a different era.

I watched this screening along with my father who was a veteran of the 442. He was deeply moved by the film.

Kudos to Lane Nishikawa and company for making a very important movie.

This is a terrific film and tribute to an unbelievable group of soldiers and just one of their amazing accomplishments. With all the renewed interest in World War II as this generation of men begin to pass from the scene, I can't believe there haven't been more films about the little- known exploits of this all-Japanese American 442nd RCT. As of this writing, this film has mainly been on the film festival circuit - I can't believe this was a low-budget, independent film - a period piece, and a war picture, to boot. A great cast, including such Asian American luminaries like Jason Scott Lee, Mark Dacascos, Tamlyn Tomita, Pat Morita (maybe his last performance), and others, along with a scrupulous attention to detail - weapons, uniforms, etc. - make this a stand-out film. The script's basic theme - that each of these men were more than just soldiers, they each had families, loved ones, reasons to live - magnify the tragedy of each death, so this film not only honors and glorifies these men's accomplishments, it also serves as a meditation on the true cost of war. Hope this sparks many, many more films about these guys!

I was fortunate enough to see this playing on a big screen on the beach in Waikiki. The courage of the men whose action this film recounts is extremely humbling and I got teary-eyed more than once while watching the film. Given the low budget, the director truly did an amazing job. It's a shame that the film didn't get a wide-spread release because every American should know about the sacrifices the men of the 100th IN Battalion / 442nd RCT made to protect our nation and bring freedom to the people of Europe. I know what a touchy thing it is for Soldiers when someone tells them that they are heroes, because they were doing their job, but the men this film depicts truly were American heroes, risking and in many cases sacrificing their lives in defense of a nation that had turned against them and their families. It makes their valor that much more incredible. The film was truly a labor of love for everyone involved, and it shows, because obviously the film will never be a huge commercial success. However, the writer-director has earned my respect for preserving this part of history on film. I hope this film will be available on DVD in the near future.

Last night my wife and I viewed this film at the Director's Guild Theatre in Hollywood. My first impression as it ended was that I was glad that a movie like this had been made! Lane, the director, was kind enough to field questions from the audience after the screening and learning how they did this on a shoe-string budget made the film even more impressive to me. The acting was superb, the camera work was on the money and the writing was top notch. I can't wait to see the final version! Kudos to Lane and his production crew, to the actors and the fund-raising effort that made it all happen. This film needs major distribution and the sooner, the better!

I am a great lover of the WWII film genre and have to say that this is the worse one I have ever seen, if it was on very late night on TV and I flicked it on, it would be flicked of pretty quick - unfortunately i bought the DVD so felt i had to watch it to the end - which I did with a lot of fast forwarding - it won't be watched again.

I think they tried to bring you in along the lines of "getting to know the men" by flash backs to their live before joining up - i don't need to see this every five minutes, either put the "family" part at the start or don't bother.

the music was so "TV film" i almost laughed but i couldn't as i had paid money out - the battle scenes where non existent barring in mind this is supposed to focus on the battle which suffered the loss of nearly half of its roster—over 800 casualties, including 121 dead—while rescuing 211 members of the 36th Infantry Division's 1st Battalion, 141st Infantry, which had been surrounded by German forces in the Vosges mountains since 24 October.

I was privileged to be able to see this movie @ a screening put on by the filmmaker @ The Majestic Theatre in Seattle Washington. This movie was very eye-opening for anyone that hasn't experienced or looked into the Japanese during the time they were put into internment camps.

There are some great action scenes but also slow scenes... they all intermix and show the lives of the people fighting in an American War. I thought this movie was very moving and touching but very slow at some points where the point was made and needed to move on. The acting in this movie was great and at some points, I almost shed a tear because the movie was so touching. I would recommend this movie to anyone willing to learn about cultural differences between Americans and Japanese-Americans.

I really wanted to like this movie, even though seeing the bad reviews and grades, but I'm sorry to say I just couldn't. Already in the first scene,(incense and cultural clichés accompanied by ramblings), I was thinking "Nooo". Cheesy and conceited were adjectives that came to mind...

I'm very interested in military history, especially WWII. I have my roots in Finland, and therefore I have the same relationship to Finnish movies about the Winter war and Continuation war (btw something to take a look at for anyone interested in WWII, to see some of the least discussed but most astonishing military wonders of all times - a tiny Little poorly equipped army in a tiny little country, literally crushing the USSR Bear), as I suppose Asian Americans have to this movie, since it portrays a part of the US Army which seldom have gotten any recognition for their efforts and sacrifice.

(Also see "Days of glory", a rather good movie about the Algerian French soldiers in the French army during WWII - Another "forgotten" Group).

I also have a great interest and fair insight into different Asian cultures due to both personal interest and having several Asian in-laws in the family. Also, some of the areas in WWII history, which I have spent the most time on, are the affairs in Asia and the Pacific. So the genuine interest is there, and also a good insight and knowledge of actual history.

Still, I have to practically force myself through this syrupy mess... The degree of melodrama, over acting and oh-it's-so-sad, is so extensive that it makes me queasy. Everything is shoved in the face of the viewer, in a pathetically naïve way, leaving no room for any thought or reflexion. Nothing is subtle nor actually touching, since the director has drenched it all in banality and cheap clichés.

The acting is horrible and over dramatic overall, and leaves one with an uncomfortable feeling of embarrassment on the behalf of both the actors and the characters. They are all flat and one-dimensional, delivering predictable portraits with no depth. I would even say that the characters, in a way, mock and ridicule Asian Americans, and place the whole group in an old and clichéd POV. Which is both sad and frustrating.

The depiction of battle and warfare is badly acted, but mainly badly planned and executed by the director, giving an air of boys playing war at a paint-ball field, rather than actually being at the western front. Low budget is not an excuse since many movies pull it off anyway.

The script is annoying in it's throws hence and forth, and in it's lack of continuity and a red thread. The scenes don't drive the story forwards, but just seem random and confused. Dialogue is mostly bad.

Overall, this movie is a crappy mess with not much good to be said about. And that's irritating since this forgotten part of WWII-history is a very interesting one, and a movie made by a good director, with a good script and screenplay, with good actors, could have made it a see worthy pearl of a flick, instead of a pathetic puddle of syrup. :( I can't even recommend it to anyone except maybe descendants of the Asian American soldiers from the US troops of WWII. I think they could have some kind of benefit from this Movie, otherwise, it's mostly a waste of time. See something good instead.

Sad to say, because I so much would have wanted to like this.

But Lane Nishikawa kind of fu*ed up. Seriously badly so.

I had the opportunity to screen Only The Brave at a special event sponsored by the filmmakers in Little Tokyo. The version I saw was close to being completed. I felt the movie resembled more of a play than a feature film; this shouldn't come as a surprise since Lane Nishikawa's background is in theater. While I found that a bit disappointing, there were aspects of the film that I admired. From start to finish Nishikawa's passion and reverence for the material is clearly evident. Overall, the acting in the film is good, and there are a handful of effective dramatic scenes. The casting of a couple of "name" actors was distracting to me -- particularly since I would be hard-pressed to call either Japanese American. Also, the version I saw lacked a traditional narrative structure, which was one of the reasons why it felt like a play to me. Nishikawa's intention is to release the finished film into theaters. I think Only The Brave is a worth a look for anyone with a special interest in Japanese American history.

I gave one, cos of the effort, but that's about it. I seen many movies of war, been in it as well. The story is worth telling. But in the hands of any other director. Acting was pale, action was boring, and flashbacks were just waste of budged money of the movie. I was half way through, and bored out of my mind, I was fast forwarding the movie, hoping to see some action, that simply was not there. This story should be retold, by another more competent director.

It is also not clear, where exactly they are, the only thing that it was told, was that they are saving some other American unit. No historical background, that would put them in the tactical picture, of where they are, what their mission was. As of Germans, we could not see them at all, all we could see, were those "soldiers" firing in to the forest.

I read the reviews for this and while not expecting a saving private Ryan I was expecting a film of some substance.

The film starts off very lob-sided with the usual intro of history and how the unit came into being. But immediately it's 1944 and you are not sure where everyone is. The accents etc are very poor as this unit is supposed to be Hawaiian/Asian American but everyone speaks in a very poor take on Harvard English imitation of a Japanese person.

I gave this film 3 out of 10 as after 10 minutes I couldn't watch any more of it. The characters were 1 dimensional and even though they were most likely based on real people I had no feeling for them and this left me not caring about them. Very poor direction of a very average TV movie which will be shown at midnight on some cable channel. I'd avoid and look out for better efforts.

This is a good story but it was deserving of a better telling. You got a sense the director had seen band of brothers and thought that that was enough to sell his movie. My advice, avoid and watch band of brothers, Tuskegee airmen, Glory or any other movie like when trumpets fade...

ONLY THE BRAVE has potential, that's for sure. It tells the story of Japanese-American troops fighting on the side of America against Japan during the Second World War. It's not an original subject matter, because they'd done similar films since the 1950s, but I was more than happy to check out the story as told for a new generation.

Sadly, this turns out not to be a war film at all, but rather an overworked melodrama. Just as the story seems to turn interesting, the viewer is treated to another endless flashback; flashback footage eats up most of the running time here. We get to see the soldiers back home as they interact with their wives and family members, and these scenes are embarrassingly 'arty' and quite lame. The film is bogged down with romantic sentiment throughout, and I found it all quite unwatchable. It's a pity, as the casting director has assembled plenty of familiar Asian-American and Hawaiaan actors, including action stalwarts like Mark Dacascos and Jason Scott Lee, alongside Greg Watanabe and Kenneth Choi.

I've read the negative reviews and the conclusion I draw from them is that their authors obviously refuse to look at the real purpose of the script.

The easy way to look at this movie is to see the courage and determination of those guys to save the Texas battalion from complete destruction. But is it really the point the script writer and the director wanted to stress out?

My answer is no. From my perspective as a French citizen this movie deals from the first image to the last about tolerance, respect of the one who is different from you . The USA after the shock of Pearl Harbor took measures totally inexcusable against citizens born in the country and treated like prisoners of war. In the Army those who nevertheless volunteered to join the allied forces, were like their fellow black compatriots , subject to racist behavior of the white soldiers.

The problem is that the bullet which kills you doesn't care if you're white, black or your skin yellow. The result is for all the same. Loss of life, grief of your companions on the battlefield and in the families and friends far away. For both groups fear is the same. For both groups you try to connect with some unreachable element which you call god with different names and which reassures you and gives you courage.

That's what this movie is all about. Perhaps some of the flashbacks could have been suppressed, but all in all the script is well constructed and the acting very convincing and many times very moving.

I have always felt strongly that the story of Americans of Japanese ancestry needed to be told, at least regarding those issues during the WWII era. I intensely dislike using hyphenated terms, but for this review I think it's necessary The courage of Japanese American troops during WWII can not be disputed - their records stands for itself. Usually their wartime story revolves around their service in Europe, but many Japanese Americans also served in the Pacific theater.

This film did a fine job of depicting their war time sacrifices, and likewise some of their conflicted emotions regarding the treatment being meted out to their families back home. My only problem with this movie, and normally this is not an issue, was the fact that many of the parts were played by people who were not Japanese Americans. I plan on purchasing this film so that I can watch it again.

Frankly, I get almost sick to my stomach each time I watch movies of this type depicting Japanese Americans and how they were treated. To think that our country would commit such a despicable act is almost beyond belief. "Snow Falling on the Cedars" is another movie that is difficult to watch for the same reason. Shame and God's judgement will undoubtedly fall on those who took advantage of this disgusting event in our history. I know I could neither try, nor even think of profiting in such a way.

In my opinion, this movie's title should be changed from "Only the Brave" to "All About Lane". I went to a screening of this film a few months ago and was quite disappointed with the outcome. Although, I appreciate that the director made a movie about the men of 442nd - a subject matter that long deserved addressing in the film industry - the acting in some parts of film was quite stale. The performances of Marc Dacascos, Tamlyn Tomita, and Jason Scott Lee were all great. However, the director should have NEVER put himself as the main character in the movie. Sorry Lane, you are just not a film actor. Stick to what you're good at - theater acting. Gina Hiraizumi's performance in this film was also horrible. She should never have been given a speaking role and her looks were unfit to play the part of a Miss Nisei queen. There were other young actresses in the film who were naturally beautiful and whose performances were wonderful... Why weren't they cast for that role? Another major problem with this film were its action sequences. The Japanese-American soldiers don't look like they were fighting German soldiers... let alone anyone. Granted this was a low budget feature, but since this was a war-based film, isn't it important to show some actually fighting? This film was a worthy attempt, but definitely not worth a major distribution.

I began this movie with having no info about the real history behind it, only knowing that it is based on true events and I hoped to learn something new by watching Only The Brave. Well, it didn't really work. The movie is confusing. Pretty much in the beginning we see Jimmie, the main protagonist of the film, sitting in the dark and stare into nothingness. His wife desperately tries to reach him, but he doesn't respond. Then the movie takes us on a journey through his mind, so it seems. Back to the battlefield and and the soldiers he fought with. Constant flashbacks follow, showing their lives at home with wives, girlfrinds, kids, etc. and at some point you just begin to question, why are we seeing the flashbacks of other characters when we are within the main characters mind? How can he see the private lives of his fellow companions? At some point you just ignore it and try to focus on other things, leaving logic aside. For a war film, there must be some intese moments, right? But nope, all we get to see is one side. The opposing German soldiers are nowhere to be seen and the characters which we got to know fire towards whatever. With no enemy in sight the battles seem unreal. And even if "our" characters got hit by a bullet you don't really care. None of these soldiers have anything interesting to tell and so the audience is forced to listen to generic dialogues about poker games, heritage mocking and what women they desire. On top one of the soldiers is so stupid, that the doc even has to explain the concept of a flesh wound to him. This movie tries to drown you in sadness and self pity, but nothing really touches you when seeing this. You only end up in feeling sorry for the time you invested by watching this boring thing.

Wooden, disjointed, clichéd. Random flashbacks pop in an out and don't do much to push the story along. Actually, they show up to put the brakes on any kind of momentum building in the main arc of the film. The acting ranges through very good, to "meh", to community theater. The action is limited, and not very convincing. Low budget, yes, but considering the current standards for realism and this movie was made in 2006, it doesn't make it any more appealing to the crowd that watches war movies just for the bang and spatter.

That said, it's a wonderful thing this film was made at all. This segment of American history has spent too long stuck in a dusty corner. The combat record of this unit alone is worth a dozen Saving Private Ryan's. Maybe someday a major studio will quit concocting fictitious accounts of heroism or making rehashes and remakes, and come up with the money and direction this story deserves.

"Only the Brave" told the story of an aspect of World War II that I had no idea ever happened. And I can't claim to even remotely have heard about this particular unit in the US army. And as such, then this movie really had an impact on me and my understanding of World War II.

This truly was the tale of forgotten heroes in World War II, and it is a movie that should be seen by anyone who has an interest in the events of World War II.

The story told in "Only the Brave" is about the 100th/442nd infantry battalion in the American army; a battalion which were Japanese-American soldiers. This battalion had to prove their worth in the African, Italian and France campaigns of World War II.

I will say that the story was nicely told, with a good amount of action, but also with a fair amount of character development and some nice and touching moments for some of the characters when they were reminiscing or during their final moments. The action scenes were nicely shot and nicely choreographed; as it was like you were there in the action yourself.

As for the cast list, there is just one word necessary - wow! It was truly a spectacular ensemble of actors that they had cast for the various roles in this movie. And people did great jobs with their given roles, both soldier and civilian roles alike.

"Only the Brave" really blindsided me and genuinely surprised me in a way I had never seen coming. This is one of the more remarkable and memorable World War II movies that I have come across, and I can only warmly recommend that you watch this movie.

I was excited to see this film was in production when I first stumbled across it a few months before it was released. I managed to find it at a local video rental place about three months after it became available on the website and decided to give it a look. Although not perfect, "Only the Brave" presents a story that needs more recognition in this day in age. Especially with so many 442nd vets passing on every day. Although the characters are fictional, they are no less real, with a lot of attention paid to their lives before and after the war. My family was sent to the internment camps after Executive Order 9066 was signed by FDR, and their experiences mirror those of the men in the film. They too lost their jobs, then their property, then their basic freedoms in what is still regarded as one of the largest civil-rights atrocity in the history of the country. Three of my Mother's uncles served in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, one of them earning a Bronze Star with Valor Device during the same mission portrayed in the film while serving as a Combat Medic.

A subject I wish they had touched on during the film was the degrading 'loyalty tests' that Active Military personal of Japanese Decent were forced to take after Pearl Harbor, as one of the aforementioned uncles was subject to those as a member of the US Army Garrison in Hawaii at the time.

As far as film craft is concerned, the picture is not without it's faults. A few scenes really would have worked better in a stage production then a feature film, and some of the scenes seemed to have an out of place dream-like quality. But all things considered I am simply glad that this film was made in the first place. Obviously a work from the heart for a lot of the actors and crew. Who all, like myself, had a deep personal connection to the story being told.

Hollywood has pointed the spotlight on minorities serving in WWII frequently in the past few years with films such as "Miracle at St. Anna", "Windtalkers", and "The Tuskeegee Airmen", but always seems to overlook the story of the 442nd RCT/100th Battalion (with the exception of the film "Go For Broke" which was released in the 50's). Hopefully 'Only the Brave' will be the first of many more films to highlight the sacrifice and heroism of these men who were told they weren't Americans, then proved their government wrong in the most spectacular way possible.

The impact of this very human film was staggering. I will not try to give a "technical" review of the acting or direction. It deserves better than that. The movie honors, as we all should, this special group of men who fought and died for us in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor. I saw the valor, the courage, the honor - and those qualities are important. But more important to me was the love. Yes, the love. The love of home and family. The love of one man, one human being for another. The love of friends; friends that lay down their lives for one another. The love that they were willing to die for. To their great credit the creators of Only the Brave make it without shouting one four letter word, making one obscene gesture or insulting us with one rude shot of a bodily act for so called "realism" The impact was in fact stronger with the absence of unnecessary trash. The life, the death, the struggle were realism enough. Steven Spielberg take note: you could learn a lot here. They CAN make 'em like they used to; and better.

I saw this screened yesterday at the Bite The Mango Film Festival in Bradford, UK.

Very moving film! Its rare to see a 'war film' that centers itself on Budhism. Not in its entirety but central to its story.

It not only shows how futile war is but also the way those of Japanese ethnicity in America during the war were treated. All locked up together in internment camps for doing nothing wrong, apart from being Japanese American. Just for being of a certain country's origin - Then made to fight for their country.

With pretty much an all Asian cast its a well crafted work which looks great with a superb sound design and a visual treat.

Try and get to see it if you can.