Blood on the Sun (1945)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Written by Lester Cole, based upon a story by Garrett Fort
Directed by Frank Lloyd
Starring James Cagney, Sylvia Sidney, Wallace Ford, Rosemary De Camp, Porter Hall

Released by: Artisan
Region: 1
Rating: NR
Anamorphic: N/A; appears in its original 1.33:1 format.

My Advice: Rent it.

Blood on the Sun tells the story of aggressive, angry Nick Condon, played by Cagney, who is the editor of a Tokyo-based English-language newspaper. Condon scoops the other papers in the area with the information that Japan is readying to invade China. Japan, as you might expect, is none too pleased with this security leak, nor with Condon’s refusal to assist their Imperialist designs. They decide that the best way to control him and his valuable contacts is to kill off his best reporter and the reporter's wife, and to take Condon into custody. Now it's Condon's turn disapprove of someone's plans.

The acting quality is good: Cagney's role is hardly a stretch for him, as he plays the gruff, cranky, tough as nails editor, but he does it well. He brings a humanity to a role that could all too easily have become a caricature. Sidney as the secret agent is smart and lovely, the perfect femme fatale. Given that most of what she's asked to do is simper about the stage and exude sexuality, her role is also rather undemanding, but she manages to do it without looking cheap or stupid--a tip some of today's starlets could learn.

The DVD have no features to speak of, which is a shame, but the usual features are harder to do for films of this age. Basically all the major players in the production have already left us. Stuff like deleted scenes has either been lost over time or was never kept archived to begin with. It's always nice when they get film critics or historians together to provide context for such films--one place that would have been nice was a discussion of the apparent need in this time period to cast white actors in all the Japanese roles.

The audio and video quality are both solid, especially given the age of the original film and the technology of the time. The colors are very sharp and clear, with very few instances of fuzzing. The stock is very clean.

In short, this is a good choice for anyone who loves a war-intrigue film or for fans of James Cagney. If you demand war stories that are as tightly plotted as, say, King Rat or The Bridge on the River Kwai, then you might be a bit let down, but otherwise, it’s a good enough adventure for a rental. Just try to roll with the anti-Japanese sentiments as best you can and enjoy it for what it is: an early example of the Hollywood blockbuster.