This 2002 film, made by Sai Yoichi, is based on Japanese manga artist Kazuichi Hanawa's comic book, "In the Prison." Hanawa was arrested for illegal possession of firearms and swords in the mid 1990s and did prison time on the northern island of Hokkaido. But this is not like any American prison film you've ever seen. It starts out dramatically, with grown men playing war games and oohing and aahing over their reconstructions of historic guns, but most of the movie takes place in the prison: a clean, orderly, quiet, and productive place kept that way as much by the inmates as the staff. Most Americans will probably find the movie static and boring -- there's no "plot" or character development to speak of -- but it is an interesting window into the Japanese mentality of following the rules (no matter how arcane), conciliation, and getting along. The triumphs, failures, and humor are all very subtle and small.
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The review of this Movie prepared by David Loftus
