Pearl Harbor - American War Action Film - Essay Example

Rafe is presumed to be shot dead over the English Channel, and both Danny and Evelyn become very sad. Since then these two spend a lot of time together and fall in love. Rafe unexpectedly returns and realizes that Danny and Evelyn are very close to each other. But before the three can untangle themselves, Japan attacks Pearl Harbor and starts bombing. Many ships are destroyed and Evelyn is busy in dealing with the wounded. Meanwhile, Danny and Rafe manage to get air born and they start shooting down Japanese fighter planes with the help of their reckless tactics.

If you compare this movie with “The Thin Red Line” or “Saving Private Ryan” the movie simply lacks moral ambiguity. The important issues are presented in black and white with a little focus on deciding what is right and what is wrong. The Japanese are shown as clearly evil and Americans are shown as doing nothing and just being good to the Japanese which is not fair. The love story of the movie would have been very interesting if, in the love triangle, there would have been a Japanese American because there would have been a problem with their loyalties as an American and their ancestral roots which would have been torn apart.

A very big problem with this movie was that the director tries a lot of things together. With all these things Pearl Harbor didn’t do a good job but it’s still a good movie because Josh Harnett and Kate Beckinsale acted pretty well. As far as the historical accuracy is concerned the movie has got all the dates and events right. The special effects used in the movie are really impressive. Despite many negative comments and reviews Pearl Harbor was one of the highest-grossing films in 2001. It can be included in the list of good American War movies.

Historical Context

The historical context of the movie is completely lost. Pearl Harbor had three hours in which to present it. The actual historical background was not present. The most obvious historical blunder is the scene of Americana that the director uses as an introduction to the attack.

Opinion

Pearl Harbor was made as an agenda to promote political opinion and it was biased. The movie is quite pro-American. In my opinion in a story like this, no one should be shown as the sole evildoer or the sole victim. It’s a fact that Pearl Harbor was a very big tragedy in American history but America also dropped nuclear bombs on Japan. The director fails to mention this part in his movie. American society was a lot more insular at that time. Every ethnic minority was facing the problem of discrimination in the country and particularly African –Americans. These conditions also allowed the Japanese to take advantage. I think the movie would have been more interesting if the surprise Tokyo bombing and the surprise Pearl Harbor attack would have shown together. Then the movie would have contrasted the two military actions that had a little extent of moral distinction. Read More