Film Review – Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle

Wars are never straightforward. The bigger the conflict, both in terms of length and size of the arena of battle, the messier things like logistics and communications become. The Pacific theatre during World War II is a prime example. fighting took place across countless islands, big and small, scattered across the ocean. Groups easily became cut-off. Separated and scattered. Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle tells one almost unbelievable story.

Hiroo Onoda (Yûya Endô) is a young intelligence officer studying at a commando school. His dream was to become a pilot but after being rejected he turns to drink. He was rescued from the abyss by the charismatic Major Taniguchi (Issei Ogata), who becomes his mentor. After completing the training, he’s sent to Lubang Island in the Philippines to undertake guerrilla warfare against the Americans, with strict order never to surrender or take his own life. His war doesn’t end in 1945.

Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle is a biopic like no other. Indeed, while director Arthur Harari uses history as the film’s starting point, he crafts a wholly unique and offbeat tale of isolation and dedication. This is helped by fantastic performances from the cast and a dark vein of humour which runs through Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle. Recounting one of the more unlikely and bizarre stories from the Second World War.

Blu-ray special features:

• Interview with actor Kanji Tsuda

• Interview with director Arthur Harari, DOP Tom Harari and assistant director Benjamin Papin

• Trailer