62 of 63 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
From a Sansei's Point of View, April 13, 2003
Being a third generation Japanese-American (Sansei), and having my parents interned in the camps, this movie has a special place in my heart. Robert Pirosh did an incredible job in getting so much information about the Japanese- American situation: the camps, the differences between the Hawaiian and State- side Japanese (Kotonks and Kanakas), the different views of the war and even using a Japanese curse word as a password! I was so impressed and pleased with the results.
The movie follows the exploits of the 442, the first all-Nisei (Japanese- American) Regimental combat team in WWII. In early 1942, all the Japanese- Americans in California, Seattle, Oregon and Hawaii were uprooted from their homes and put into camps. All the volunteers were from the 10 internment camps throughout the western states. They felt that this was the only way to prove to the U. S. that they were as patriotic as anybody else, in fact most of them were American Citizens! Since they had nothing to lose, but their lives, their motto was "GO FOR BROKE!" and that's what they did. They are today the most decorated battalion in the history of the U.S. military and proved something that they shouldn't have to be proved, that they were Americans!
Van Johnson is used as the "white man" foil, to show how the rest of the country looked at the Japanese-American, and he does a great job. He starts off as a bigot, but as he begins to understand and respect his troops, he becomes one of them. There's a funny scene where one of his men call him "BAKATARE", which is a curse word close to "Damn, stupid...." and tells him that the soldier is being very polite, he's bowing as he says this. This film has everything: humor, action, great characters and... truth!
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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A classic, February 9, 2000
By A Customer
THis movie portarayed one of the most decorrated U.S Army regiment in WWII. Despite all their hardship and racism, the Japanese American refected their heroism in combat in the Europian theaters. THere won't be any snoozee messages in this flicks, just the stories as the men of the 442nd told them.
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23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Go For Broke!, May 2, 2000
This is one of the only films to focus in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. It shows the courage of the Japanese-Americans who fought against the Germans during World War II while their families were still imprisoned in the United States. A favorite of my grandfather, a member of the 442nd.
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