Winds of God (Kamikaze)

Sounds interesting. A hackneyed modern philosophical retrospect into the hearts and minds of kamikaze pilots with a twist of time travel to make everything connect?

The unfortunate hero pressed into duty by an institution, but a true passion for family and friends become their true reason for serving a suicide attack on the enemy… This is the basis for so many movies and stories its not even funny. The fact that they had to fabricate an unworldly backdrop to even sell this plotline is in itself self obligatory to its unoriginality.

Truth is yet less glamorous as youths pressed into this kind of service were most likely brainwashed into the Bushido craze and the virtues of death and the pressures of NOT dishonoring their family and themselves. This fear was probably the number one reason, many Japanese gave their lives without question and the thought that every Japanese were making sacrifices for the emperor and nation only reinforced their resolve to die for a purpose than to live as a disgraced and ostracized member of Japanese society. It was a sick self propagating cycle that everyone was involved in this war and that questioning authority was tantamount to treason. Much like the status quo in the US today.

I saw the (non-English with English) taped version of the “Kamikaze” theatrical performance, a week before seeing this movie (it was submitted to the Hawaiian Film Festival as “Gods of War Kamikaze” . When I was watching the play I was aware that I would be seeing the movie the following week. This version of “Winds of God Kamikaze” that I saw, I assume, and hope, is not the final cut, and I say that for a number of reasons, not because I don’t like it, but because I do. All things considered this is a good movie that has promise and the potential for greatness. The largest problem with this movie at teh moment is how the beginning and ending don’t fit eachother, and the beginning feels forced by comparison to the rest of the movie script. There are scenes that are beautifully shot and acted, but then there are some with poor pacing and over- acting. I appreciate how live archival footage was blended into the movie when possible, but was then disappointed to see some of the cheaper “video game” effects that got used in other scenes. The overall casting was well done, however the casting director in New York could have done better or the director could have asked more of his actors. Costumes and sets were lovely, the location scouts did a great job, and until the final scenes of the movie the makeup department was doing really well. The soundtrack was obvious in nearly every usage; in only one instance could the current mix be deemed acceptable. (the eq is off in nearly ever scene that has a music track) Luckily the redeeming quality for the sound is that the sound effects were good, and at appropriate impact levels. So, like I was saying this is a good movie that has lots of potential. I still recommend people viewing it, seeing as there is no release date for the finished product out there yet, and if you ever have the opportunity to see the play… GO! it is wonderful.