IMDb > Only the Brave (2006)

Only the Brave (2006) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
9.2/10   75 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 3% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Lane Nishikawa
Writer:
Lane Nishikawa (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for Only the Brave on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
11 November 2009 (USA) more
Genre:
War
Tagline:
21 Medals of Honor, 9,486 Purple Hearts, 588 Silver Stars, 5,200 Bronze Stars. This is their story
Plot:
A searing portrait of war and prejudice, 'Only the Brave' takes you on a haunting journey into the hearts and minds of the forgotten heroes of WWII... more | add synopsis
User Comments:
Intense and personal "Brave" cracks open history more (11 total)

Cast

  (Credited cast)

Jennifer Aquino ... Grace Nakajo

James Boss ... 442 2nd Squad Soldier
Christina Cellner ... Geneveve

Ehécatl Chávez ... French Priest
Edmond Choi ... Soldier

Kenneth Choi ... Dave Fukushima
Brian Connolly ... Factory Manger Connery

Mark Dacascos ... Steve "Zaki" Senzaki

Mike Dunn ... German Soldier

Brian F. Durkin ... Texas Soldier
Jeff Fahey

Takayo Fischer ... Mother

Michael Hagiwara ... Reverend Inouye

Dean Hill ... Older Man

Gina Hiraizumi ... Eleanor "Ellie" Takase

John Koyama ... Hank Hayashi

Jason Scott Lee ... Glenn "Tak" Takase

Emily Liu ... Nancy Loo

Yuki Matsuzaki ... Soldier
Ryan Moriarty ... Additional Voices
Thomas Isao Morinaka ... 442 1st Squad Soldier
C. Traci Murase ... Frances Nakajo

Ken Narasaki ... Dr.Richard"Doc" Naganuma
Lane Nishikawa ... Jimmy Takata
Yuji Okumoto ... Yukio "Yuk" Nakajo

Garret Sato ... Richard "Hilo" Imamura
Brandon Schiffman ... Barber

Kipp Shiotani ... Johnny Nomura
Derek Shizuto ... 442 2nd Squad Soldier (as Derek Kadota)

Michael Sun Lee ... Al "Kauai" Nakamura

Aaron Takahashi ... 442 2nd Squad Soldier
Tamlyn Tomita ... Mary Takata
Greg Watanabe ... Freddy Watada

Ryun Yu ... Robert Minami
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for some war violence and disturbing images.
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Certification:
USA:R

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
11 out of 13 people found the following comment useful.
Intense and personal "Brave" cracks open history, 29 May 2005
8/10
Author: panzo-1 from United States

On December 7 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy raided Hawaii's Pearl Harbor and decimated the United States Navy's Pacific battleships.

Two months later, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, permitting the U.S. military to uproot thousands of West Coast Japanese and Japanese-Americans and ship them to inland interment camps.

In February of 1943, the ban on Japanese in the military was lifted and the 100th Battalion 442nd Regimental Combat Team was formed. Containing Japanese-American volunteers from Hawaii and, remarkably, from out of the mainland interment camps, the 100th/442nd was sent to Europe.

"Only The Brave" is a fictionalized account of the 100th/442nd's most famous success: the October 1944 rescue of the "Lost Battalion", the all-white "Texas" 141st, trapped behind enemy lines deep within the Vosges Mountains of France.

The movie opens during the battle for the town of Bruyeres, France. After a receiving a head wound, Sergeant Jimmy Takata (played by the film's writer and director, Lane Nishikawa) begins to "see" the memories of his dying troops. As they die, Takata also becomes a walking repository of their mementos: a signature pair of eyeglasses, a photograph of children, an engagement ring never given.

Through the Bruyeres battle and the five bloody days of desperate fighting it takes to break through the German line and rescue the 141st, Nishikawa uses Sergeant Takata as a metaphor for the quiet and proud generation of Japanese-Americans who endured life in the relocation camps, who fought in battle and who kept up the home front, but who have mostly held onto their stories. Nishikawa's moral is an old one: the release of the past brings healing for the future, but it is especially poignant given that so few of that generation remain.

Working with a limited budget and an abbreviated shooting schedule, Nishikawa wisely chose to "go small" with his shots. Each scene is personal to the viewer. Each battle is realistically chaotic without wide shots and multiple angles to give viewers their bearings. The result for the viewer is – as it is for the characters - an exhausted embrace of the story's pauses.

Nishikawa also "goes small" with his characters. The memories that haunt Takata are often short, deeply personal gut punches. The realistic pidgin banter between the "local boy" Hawaiian Japanese and the exploration of the tensions between the Hawaiian Japanese and the mainland "kotonk" Japanese are products of character development and not just tossed in for "authenticity".

Unlike many recent war films, there is little battle gore in "Only The Brave", making the infrequent bloody scenes that much more powerful.

The cast, featuring Nishikawa, Jason Scott Lee, Yuji Okumoto and Tamlyn Tomita, turn in solid performances but Pat Morita's cameo was a little wonky for me.

"Only The Brave" will definitely be worth watching when it is finally released into theaters. I was lucky enough to attend a private screening in Seattle. I'd gladly wait in line again.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (11 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Only the Brave (2006)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
WHERE IS PAT MORITA??? Not on the Cast List... absolut_john-1
DVD ams30gts
NO DVD? n01-1
How big of a part does Jeff Fahey have? Keith8362
1 million dollars? parkeryl
Anyone have a used DVD to sell? AimC
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
A Tradition of Honor Saving Private Ryan The Big Red One Go for Broke! All Quiet on the Western Front
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
IMDb War section IMDb USA section Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.