The Human Condition

A towering achievement by Japanese master Masaki Kobayashi who made one of the greatest anti-war films that exposes war as it is in all of its shades that's timeless as it is relevant. The three part epic examines the war through the eyes of one man who experiences the war as a civilian, soldier and prisoner. Japanese superstar Tatsuya Nakadai gives his best performance as the idealistic Kaji who accepts a position in Japanese occupied Manchuria to avoid military and improve the conditions of the workers. When the war reaches with its inhumane machinery where Kaji is caught between the forces that causes his failure, he's sent to military service where he has to experience the harshest treatment and humiliation. After the war, Kaji shatters when he finds out that the Russians or Chinese are not much better than the Japanese when it comes to war. Kobayashi's razor sharp focus with pitch perfect cast and crew makes this film one of the greatest films on human nature and condition. YRCinema's coverage of films on DVD.