Great Historical Context But ...

This is a really bad film! Most of the acting was horrible ... the soundtrack was annoying and overwhelming ... the script often lost it's flow ... the camera work were low quality and the film was way too long (3 plus hours).

Honestly, it's hard to believe that Germany had anything to do with this production as it seemed like a home grown effort that was never intended to play outside of Japan!

That said ... there are many great things to say about this film and story. It has great historical context (China and Japan in the early 30's)! It takes a very unique look at WW2 ... one that is very foreign to Western audiences. Mostly it highlights the life and times and exploits of a Russian super spy who was a true believer in the virtues of of Communism!

I wish somebody would redo this most interesting and exciting story. There is so much here that ... in the right hands .... could be four hours long and nobody would care!!!