svikasha The 1988 Hong Kong-Chinese film, "Men Behind the Sun" is the first film to ever receive a "III" rating in Hong Kong. The "III" rating in Hong Kong is equivalent to the NC-17 rating in the United States. However, audiences abroad are usually not as sensitive to on-screen depictions of gruesome violence as western audiences. So the fact that this film shocked the conscience of its host country to this extent should discourage most from watching the film. It is not an easy movie to watch. The violence and gruesome content will make most viewers sick. But such a film is necessary. Because, compared to German atrocities, the international film community has not paid nearly enough attention to the atrocities committed by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War Two.In Chinese, the title of this film is hēi tài yang 731 which loosely translates into, "Black Sun: 731". The 731 is an allusion to the atrocious but mysterious Unit 731 of the Japanese armed forces which carried out unimaginable atrocities against both European and Asian populations in Imperial Japan's "conquered" territories. Make no mistake; Unit 731 is not a fictional invention of a filmmaker's imagination. Unit 731 actually existed and participated in many truly horrifying war crimes ranging from the development of chemical warfare to live human testing. The extent to which this unit utilized lethal human experimentation will perhaps never be fully known. The organizers of Unit 731 were successful in hiding their work at the end of World War Two. Most of the most heinous perpetrators of war crimes in this unit were pardoned.Unit 731 had many affiliated units. The film depicts one such unit which is made up of a group of young Japanese boys who are forced into the Imperial Japanese Army's Youth Corps. These playful boys end up serving under the cruel Shiro Ishii. Ishii doesn't care about the Japanese boys assigned to his unit. He doesn't even seem to care about his own men, let alone the Chinese people. The boys in the Youth Corps eventually lose faith in the Japanese war effort's leadership as they are exposed to horrific cruelty. These "men" behind the sun witness people being frozen alive to test how brittle limbs become when exposed to harsh temperatures. They witness a mute boy being harvested by Japanese medical researchers for his organs. Babies were separated from mothers. Women were raped to intentionally create babies that could later be used for further experimentation. Unit 731 is perhaps the darkest military unit in human history. "Men Behind the Sun", attempts to depict this tragic part of mankind's history. As the film progresses, Ishii becomes increasingly obsessed with winning World War Two at all costs, even if it means using chemical and biological weapons. As Japan loses battle after battle, Unit 731's desperation only increases. They begin to test epidemic causing bubonic plague bombs in assaults against the Chinese people around the major city of Harbin. But as everyone knows, Japan eventually lost the war. Unit 731 forsook humanity for nothing. At times, it is hard to watch and believe what is happening on screen. Such raw barbarism has very little entertainment value. But it is very informative. The cold-hearted nature and lack of empathy among the elder Japanese soldiers stands in sharp contrast to the initial optimism and playful nature of the boys in the Youth Corp. It is important to note that every atrocious moment depicted on-screen is merely a taste of the true scale and breadth of the atrocities committed by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War Two. This fact alone should make anyone feel sick. The makers of this film were criticized for making a film that had the potential to hurt Chinese relations with Japan. But as the opening of the film depicts, "Friendship is friendship; history is history".There are probably only a few films in existence that can cause people to be so horrified that they actually vomit. As a witness to this, it must be said that "Men Behind the Sun" is one such film. There are scenes in the film that were so gruesome and difficult to digest that they will leave viewers nauseated and uncomfortable. This nauseating discomfort is indeed the desired effect of this movie. It is impossible to discuss the atrocities committed during the course of World War Two without mentioning some genuinely heinous atrocities. It is even more difficult to depict such atrocities in a vivid medium as captivating as film. The makers of this film should be commended for their attempt.

gatheringsnow I would have voted this film higher if it wasn't so unbearably cold and bleak, because regardless of all else, the production and acting performances were very good, high quality. The fact that this is based on true events, makes it even more horrifying to contemplate, let alone view. It's obviously a film you only watch once, and also one to "endure" more than enjoy. To this day there is a great deal of tension between Japan and China for the atrocities committed in this film, not only because of what occurred to their close ancestors, but also because Japan tries to deny the events ever occurred at all. But back to the film, it follows the titular Unit 731, which conducted unspeakably evil experiments and procedures on innocent victims, mostly Chinese, but also POWS and other groups present in China during that time, which are mind-numbing to even hear about, let alone witness. The film is played completely straight, and contains no humor and very little humanity from start to finish. There are no happy endings, no escapes, and no resolutions. Recommended only for the most adventurous film goers.

ambiguousnightmare This film is very heavy, full of gore, torture and suffering. If it was a curry (the hotter the gorier) it is the phaal; certainly not one for those with a weak stomach. Snow is meant to untainted and pure white. In Men behind the Sun it is a torture device. What was once a carpet of untouched white is scarred with crimson Children, babies, women, men and animals are tortured in this film. If you have sensitivities towards any of these groups then please avoid this film. If you can't handle very graphic images that are relentless throughout the film then don't watch it either. There is no light relief. This film shows how desire to win a war turns the human heart into ice.So who do I recommend this film to? To be honest I can't think of anything beside those with a high gore tolerance. You won't enjoy this film and it was never meant to be. Every torture scene is not art, it is a stake warning. This kind of thing happened once and could happen again. How I wish I had the ability to delete certain scenes from my mind after watching. Despite this I don't regret viewing the thing. On the contrary, it isn't just a mindless gorefest with no purpose other than to titillate and stun the audience. It is beautifully shot and the acting of the large cast is realistic. Like other reviewers have said 'one viewing is enough'. This film will live with you for a long time.

stefanovich86 Many of you who's found your way to this page on IMDb, probably already know pretty much what you're getting yourself into. It's terrible, horrifying, sickening, disgusting yet well-made, well- acted and well-directed. It's truly a unique movie, and I can appreciate all the things it does oh so right. If you're looking for something that can show you the ugly side of war or human beings, then you've found it - this is the real deal, and makes Schindler's List look like a day at the theme park in comparison. But I gotta say, that this is too much. While everything that's being showed doesn't feel out of place or bad in any way, this is not why I go watch movies - it made me depressed and made me feel HORRIBLY bad after I watched it. While the truth of war and reality of things can work in movies, it doesn't work here - it goes beyond whatever we call entertainment or even film, and becomes a document of the most disgusting events you can imagine. If you're a moviegoer like me who appreciates good movies and well done ones, I can't recommend this to you. If you're just looking for something shocking and grossed out, well, this is probably for you. But damn man, I'm telling you, be READY for what to come. I expected it to affect me, but not this much. It's not so much the events that makes the film horrible - which many reviewers makes it look like - but the overall feeling of authenticity and complete darkness and depression. If this film wouldn't be so damn well-made it'd probably just be another forgotten world war 2-movie.I've been trying my limits for a long time now, seeing "the worst there is to see" and never really being content or felt that my limit was reached. Well, now it is, and I've frankly had enough. Seeing blood and guts are fine compared to the truly depressed and sickening feeling I had after watching this.To sum the movie review up: After I saw it I couldn't eat for a week. If that's something you're looking for, then you'll be one pleased movie-goer, but if you're like me and still value the little peace you have in your body, then stay away.