Hei tai yang 731 (1988)

Director:

Tun Fei Mou

Writers:

Mei Liu (writer)
Wen Yuan Mou (writer)

Release Date:

1 December 1988 (Hong Kong)

Genre:

Drama | History | War

Plot:

Japanese troops round up Chinese and Russian prisoners of war and take them to a place called Squadron 731, where they are grotesquely tortured and experimented on to test new biological weapons.

Plot Keywords:

Biological Weapon | China | Mutilated Child | Blood | Axe

Cast

Hsu Gou
Tie Long Jin
Zhaohua Mei		(as Zhao Hua Mei)
Zhe Quan
Gang Wang
Runsheng Wang		(as Run Shen Wang)
Dai Yao Wu
Andrew Yu

Also Known As:

Hak taai yeung 731 (Hong Kong: Cantonese title)
Man Behind the Sun (Hong Kong: English title)
Men Behind the Sun
Squadron 731

Runtime:

105 min | UK:102 min (cut)

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) | Australia:Refused Classification (original rating: 1989) | USA:Not Rated | Australia:R (re-rating on appeal) | Singapore:R(A) | New Zealand:R18 | South Korea:18 | France:-16 | UK:18 (cut)

Company:

Sil-Metropole Organisation

Quotes:

Dr. Shiro Ishii: A small rat can beat a cat. Fleas and germs can defeat bombers and guns. This is... the basic theory behind Squadron 731. It is also my philosophy.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Little Red Riding Hood (2009) (V)

Dark Days

Going into Men Behind the Sun I knew that it was a serious movie that contained animal cruelty and just some seriously graphic material. And the rumors were true. It contained both. But I wasn't expecting a seriously well-made movie.

Men Behind the Sun centers around Squadron 731 and how it tortured and killed thousands and thousands of people so Japan would have a great chance at winning the war with Russia. Really the movie is almost entirely about how Squadron 731 can improve their chance to win the war. Be it through torture type situations like extreme temperature or through air-borne bacteria. It's been said that while Squadron 731 was up and running, it's said that there wasn't a single survivor. It's not just an hour and forty-five minutes of death and torture, even though it is close. The movie follows a large cast, whether they show the Generals and troops talking about how important this is to Japan or they show the victims and how they need to tell the world what is happening. It's an incredibly strong look at some of the darkest days this world has ever seen. Many a country have committed awful acts, and I suppose this is Japan's. Even though I hear Japan hasn't officially said it took place.

Like I said before, Men Behind the Sun is a strong, powerful and graphic film filled with visuals the average film-goer would rather not see. Truthfully, there's a couple scenes I'd rather have not have seen. There's another comment on here that says "One Viewing Is Enough" and I can't agree more. The only people I would recommend this movie to are history/movie/gore buffs. 8.5 outta 10