Prisoners of the Sun (1990)

The island of Ambon in Indonesia, 1945. During the War, the number of Australian POWs on the island had dropped from 1100 to less than 300 due to abuses by their Japanese captors. Capt. ... See full summary »

Director:

Stephen Wallace

Writers:

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

Stars:

Bryan Brown, George Takei, Terry O'Quinn

2 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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
Sôkyû Fujita	...	Mr. Matsugae
Ray Barrett	...	President of the Bench
Kazuhiro Muroyama	...	Lt. Noburo Kamura

Storyline

The island of Ambon in Indonesia, 1945. During the War, the number of Australian POWs on the island had dropped from 1100 to less than 300 due to abuses by their Japanese captors. Capt. Cooper is the chief prosecutor. In a mass grave, the bodies of 300 executed servicemen have been unearthed. Cooper assumes that the massacre was ordered by Baron Takahashi, Japanese commander on Ambon. But the one potential witness has gone mad and is due to be shipped back to Australia. No captured airmen were found alive on the island at all, not even the four-man crew of a reconnaissance plane shot down late in the War. Takahashi is returned to the island in the custody of an American officer, Maj. Beckett. But there is little evidence with which to prosecute the Baron. Cooper thinks he could make a case for the missing airmen if only their bodies could be located. And why does Maj. Beckett appear interested in not seeing Takahashi convicted? Cooper gets a break when Lt. Tanaka, a communications ...

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Plot Keywords:

crying man | man in a bed | man wears eyeglasses | island | japanese | 

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Taglines:

A journey from blind justice to soaring compassion [Australia theatrical]

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for momentary strong violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

A follow up, Giants at Dawn, centering around the Cowra breakout, was planned but never made.

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Quotes

Captain Ikeuchi: I know nothing of any executions!

User Reviews

Excellent.

There is a video for this film and it is a good one. The story, a post WW2 investigation of atrocities committed against allied prisoners of war by the Japanese Imperial Army, is a gripping one with an ironic twist. George Takei, the lovable Sulu from the old Star Trek plays a first class slime. Bryant Brown is dynamic (isn't he always) and there are other excellent performances turned in by Japanese actors Tetsu Watanabe and Toshi Shioya. This is not a film for the faint of heart. The story line often presented in flashback is tense and intense. The final scenes with their political agendized justice leaves all us with much to ponder. An excellent film in many respects. A wrenching portrait of a terrible time in our history. Check it out.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Australia UK

Language:

English Japanese

Release Date:

26 July 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Prisoners of the Sun

Filming Locations:

Queensland, Australia

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$14,296, 21 July 1991

Gross USA:

$52,654

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$52,654

Company Credits

Production Co:

Village Roadshow Pictures, Siege, Blood Oath Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1