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Not part of a collection.
Out of violence, compassion. Out of suspicion, trust. Out of hell, hope.
During World War II, a shot-down American pilot and a marooned Japanese navy captain find themselves stranded on the same small uninhabited island in the Pacific Ocean.
david_carry
Sep 4, 2026 · via TMDB
> *It's a war movie with almost no fighting. It's a survival movie that's more interested in psychology than fishing tips. An American pilot and a Japanese captain wash up on the same island, and instead of immediately killing each other, they spend most of the runtime playing this elaborate, frustrated game of cat-and-mouse . There's a lot of posturing, a lot of yelling in languages neither understands, and some genuinely funny moments—like fighting over a piece of driftwood .* > *What makes it work is the two leads. Marvin is all brute force and menace; Mifune is pure intensity and dignity . Neither speaks the other's language, so everything is conveyed through body language, tone, and sheer presence. Boorman's direction is subtle and patient, letting the tension build slowly .* > *But it drags in the middle, and the ending is infuriating. The studio tacked on a stupid explosion that makes no sense, completely undercutting everything that came before . The original ending is much better—quieter, sadder, more honest. Some people will find the whole thing too slow and pretentious. Others will appreciate its stripped-down, allegorical power. I'm somewhere in between.*
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
Lee Marvin
American Pilot
Toshirō Mifune
Captain Tsuruhiko Kuroda
Conrad Hall
Director of Photography
John Boorman
Director
Henry G. Saperstein
Executive Producer
Reuben Bercovitch
Producer
Lalo Schifrin
Original Music Composer
Reuben Bercovitch
Story
Adagio
Brutal Tales of Chivalry 6
Cape of the North
Saving Private Ryan
Devils on the Doorstep
Nobody Knows
Life and Death on the Shore
The Man Who Planted Trees
The Hidden Fortress
An Autumn Afternoon
Planet of the Apes
Drunken Angel
Spartacus
Lady Snowblood
Dolls
Confidence
My Dinner with Andre
Enemy at the Gates
Samurai Banners
Profound Desires of the Gods
Kabei: Our Mother
Kamome Diner
Escape from Sobibor
God Does Not Believe in Us Anymore
Crows Zero II
Seven Years in Tibet
Sophie Scholl: The Final Days
Fortress of War
Best Guy
Poslední ples na rožnovské plovárně
Contemporary Tales of Chivalry: The Traitor Shall Die
Valkyrie
Aimée & Jaguar
The Last Note
Baby Assassins
Jack the Giant Killer
Tobruk
Once More Unto the Breach
Legend of the Lost
Spanglish
Topaz
Hell Squad
Flight to Holocaust
Ambush
1944 The Final Defence
The Silent Enemy
The Sign Painter
Destination Moon
Buffet Titanic
A Yank in the R.A.F.
People with Wings
Wunderland
Leningrad
Ardennes Fury
SOS! Tokyo Metro Explorers: The Next
Raia Prays For…
Love Letter So-renka
Thanks Girls and Goodbye
My Soul Is a Witness
Kill the Poet
Hacksaw Ridge
The Last Samurai
Letters from Iwo Jima
The Thin Red Line
Lone Survivor
Unbroken
The Patriot
Twelve O'Clock High
Tora! Tora! Tora!
Eye in the Sky
The Dam Busters
Flags of Our Fathers
Flyboys
Behind Enemy Lines
The Wall
Too Late the Hero
The Kill Team
Lord of the Flies
Walking Tall
Play Dirty
Bat★21
MacArthur
Farewell to the King
The High and the Mighty
Good Kill
Dec 19, 1968
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Hila
Reversal
2001
Sign in to vote
Battle your watched movies head-to-head
Community Top Movies
Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
The Dark Knight
2008 · 14 wins
Halloween
1978 · 13 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 12 wins
Halloween II
1981 · 11 wins
Trivia
Leaderboard →Playing as a guest — sign in to save your score and rank on the leaderboard.
Movie Trivia
Guess the movie from a clue — tagline, plot, cast and more. Pick from four posters.
What movie experience do you prefer?
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