Blood oath = Prisoners of the sun [DVD]

The Ambon tribunal which tried 91 Japanese soldiers for war crimes against Australian prisoners during World War II provided the basis for the script co-written by the son of John Williams who was the Australian prosecuting officer (Captain Cooper in the film, played by Bryan Brown). The film attempts to portray the perplexing issue of war guilt, against the background of international power politics, through the rhetoric of courtroom drama. It can usefully be compared with the Japanese documentary “The Tokyo Trial” (1984), the second half of which deals with the trial of 28 alleged war criminals. Cast also includes George Takei, Terry O’Quinn, John Bach, John Polson, Russell Crowe, Toshi Shioya, John Clarke and Deborah Unger. In English and Japanese with English subtitles.