Blood Oath (1990)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Stephen Wallace

Writers:

Denis Whitburn (screenplay) and
Brian A. Williams (screenplay)

Release Date:

26 July 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

Law and justice are not necessarily compatible . . . [UK Video]

Plot:

The island of Ambon in Indonesia, 1945. During the War, the number of Australian POWs on the island...

Plot Keywords:

Island | Japanese | Tribunal | Torture | Mass Grave

Awards:

2 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Bryan Brown	...	Captain Cooper
George Takei	...	Vice-Admiral Baron Takahashi
Terry O'Quinn	...	Major Beckett
John Bach	...	Major Roberts
Toshi Shioya	...	Lt. Tanaka
John Clarke	...	Sheedy
Deborah Kara Unger	...	Sister Littell (as Deborah Unger)
John Polson	...	Private Jimmy Fenton
Russell Crowe	...	Lt. Corbett
Nicholas Eadie	...	Sgt. Keenan
Jason Donovan	...	Private Talbot
Tetsu Watanabe	...	Captain Ikeuchi
Sokyu Fujita	...	Mr. Matsugae
Ray Barrett	...	President of the Bench
Kazuhiro Muroyama	...	Lt. Noburo Kamura
David Argue	...	Flight Lt. Eddy Fenton
Yuichiro Senga	...	Lt. Shimada
Andrew Booth	...	Pvt. Mitchell
Malcolm Cork	...	Australian Soldier
Donal Gibson	...	Corporal Patterson
Shane McNamara	...	Major Roberts' Aide
Peter Waterstreet	...	Flight Sgt. O'Donnell
Tim Reuther	...	Flight Lt. Smith
Matthew Keyes	...	Corporal Rogers
Christina Ongley	...	Nurse Pearson

Directed by
Stephen Wallace

Writing credits
Denis Whitburn		(screenplay) and
Brian A. Williams		(screenplay)

Produced by
Annie Bleakley	....	co-producer
Richard Brennan	....	line producer
Graham Burke	....	executive producer
Greg Coote	....	executive producer
John Tarnoff	....	executive producer
Charles Waterstreet	....	producer
Denis Whitburn	....	producer

Original Music by
David McHugh

Cinematography by
Russell Boyd		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Nicholas Beauman

Casting by
Alison Barrett
Nobuaki Murooka

Production Design by
Bernard Hides

Art Direction by
Virginia Bieneman

Set Decoration by
Suza Maybury		(as Susan Maybury)

Costume Design by
Roger Kirk

Makeup Department
Lesley Vanderwalt	....	makeup artist
Cheryl Williams	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Justin Plummer	....	unit manager
Helen Watts	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Henry Osborne	....	second assistant director
Maria Phillips	....	third assistant director
Chris Webb	....	first assistant director (as Christopher Webb)

Art Department
Bob Booker	....	construction laborer
Charles Boyle	....	assistant dresser
Robert Bull	....	painter (as Rob Bull)
Danny Burnett	....	construction manager
Graham Cox	....	greensman
David Duffin	....	painter
Paul Dulieu	....	props buyer
Bruce Fletcher	....	carpenter
Warren Kelly	....	special props maker
James Kibble	....	assistant art director
Phil MacPherson	....	chargehand dresser
Suza Maybury	....	props buyer (as Susan Maybury)
Jackie McGreachan	....	art runner
Jackie McGreachan	....	draughtsperson
Robina Osborne	....	art department coordinator
Ray Pedler	....	scenic artist
Robert Podhadsky	....	carpenter
Rob Rowe	....	signwriter
Mark St. Leon	....	assistant stand-by props
Gina Tornatore	....	assistant dresser
Wayne Truce	....	painter
Philip Worth	....	location foreman (as Phil Worth)
Harry Zettel	....	stand-by props

Sound Department
Nick Breslin	....	assistant dialogue editor
Steve Burgess	....	foley
Gethin Creagh	....	dubbing mixer
James D'Arcey	....	assistant dubbing mixer (as James D'Arcy)
Andy Duncan	....	boom operator (as Andrew Duncan)
Tim Jordan	....	dialogue editor
Rick Lisle	....	assistant sound effects editor
Gerry Long	....	foley artist (as Gerry 'Foots' Long)
Gerry Nucifora	....	boom operator
Ben Osmo	....	location sound mixer
Angus Robertson	....	post-synchronisation dialogue recordist
Roger Savage	....	dubbing mixer
Karin Whittington	....	sound editor
Karin Whittington	....	sound effects editor
Liz Wright	....	liaison: Soundfirm Australia

Special Effects by
Brian Pearce	....	special effects supervisor (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Roger Cowland	....	opticals

Stunts
Derek Brassell	....	stunt performer
Greg Skipper	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Grant Atkinson	....	electrician
Brian Bansgrove	....	gaffer
Ian Bird	....	grip
Richard Bradshaw	....	clapper loader
Ray Brown	....	key grip
Colin Chase	....	electrician
Paul Gantner	....	best boy
Warren Grieef	....	grip
John Platt	....	focus puller
Jim Townley	....	still photographer
Aron Walker	....	grip
David Williamson	....	camera operator

Casting Department
Judith Cruden	....	extras casting
Karyn-Lee Newman	....	extras casting assistant
Victoria Pendavingh	....	casting consultant: Japan

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Gloria Bava	....	wardrobe assistant
Helen Dykes	....	wardrobe supervisor
Paula Ryan	....	wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
Nick Breslin	....	first assistant editor
Arthur Cambridge	....	color grader
David Grusovin	....	second assistant editor
Nicki Roller	....	post-production coordinator

Music Department
Stewart D'Arrietta	....	composer: additional music
Michael Hoenig	....	music engineer
David McHugh	....	musician
Don Miller-Robinson	....	composer: additional music

Transportation Department
Russell Boyd	....	rushes driver (as Russell 'Buckets' Boyd)

Other crew
Libby Blainey	....	title designer
Murray Boyd	....	project leader
Brian Burns	....	armorer
John Clarke	....	script editor
Deidre Eagles	....	unit nurse
Mark George	....	armorer
Christine Gordon	....	production secretary
Hugh Johnston	....	location manager (as Hugh Johnson)
Liane Lee	....	accounting assistant
Alan Long	....	production runner
Kerry Long	....	researcher
Gill McKinlay	....	accountant
Shane Minslow	....	stand-in: Bryan Brown
Isao Morimoto	....	assistant to director
Bernadette O'Mahony	....	production coordinator
Victoria Pendavingh	....	liaison: Tokyo
Justin Plummer	....	location manager
Sara Probyn	....	unit runner
Linda Ray	....	continuity
Denise Wolfson	....	lab liaison
Annie Wright	....	unit publicist

Thanks
Catriona Hughes	....	special thanks
Moya Iceton	....	special thanks
John Williams	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Blood Oath Productions
• Siege
• Sovereign Pictures
• Village Roadshow Pictures

Distributors

• LK-TEL Vídeo (Brazil) (video)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Video (1991) (Japan) (VHS)
• Roadshow Entertainment
• Roadshow Home Video
• Skouras Pictures (1991) (USA)

Other Companies

• Spectrum Films International  post-production facilities

Also Known As:

Prisoners of the Sun (USA)

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

Australia

Language:

English | Japanese

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 (bw) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Queensland, Australia

Company:

Blood Oath Productions

Trivia:

Russell Crowe's feature film debut.

Enjoyable but heavy in parts

This film is well made and well cast. The story-line is fairly easy to follow and has just the right amount of action. However, in places the action can be somewhat heavy... although this can only really be expected of a film on this theme. If you like war-time court-room dramas then you will enjoy this film. It is not predictable and the characters are believable.