This was a surprisingly realistic war film, although it did have factual inaccuracies, such as inexplicably exaggerating the casualties inflicted by the Japanese during the infamous Saipan Banzai Charge. And while I suppose it's possible that a handful of Americans existed who understood and respected the bushido culture of Imperial Japan, they were probably nonexistent in the war zone, and therefore I found Captain Lewis' character to be totally unrealistic.I can't speak for the acting of the Japanese. As for the Americans, Treat Williams and Daniel Baldwin can act. I can't say the same about the rest of the cast; they are terrible.This is a Japanese film. Given the enormous scope and nature of their aggression and war crimes in the 1930s and 40s (dubbed The Asian Holocaust), and given their longstanding refusal to acknowledge said crimes, or apologize to their tens of millions of victims, I find that any portrayal by the Japanese of their WW II soldiers as heroic - even if probably true - leaves a bad taste in my mouth. This was a film that should never have been made. Imagine if modern-day Germany released a film depicting the bravery and loyalty of their soldiers in 1942. It's just unseemly, no matter how accurate.

I do not usually write reviews on IMDb.com, but after viewing this movie (and especially after seeing its rating on IMDb), I've decided to take the proverbial plunge...."Oba: the Last Samurai" is based on the true story of Captain Sakae Oba, who fought during the Battle of Saipan in the 18th Imperial Japanese Army Regiment. After surviving the brutal "Banzai Charge" of July 7 (in which U.S. Army and Marine units fought against nearly 5,000 Japanese soldiers in pitched hand-to-hand combat), Captain Oba retreated into the mountainous interior of Saipan with 46 other Japanese soldiers and nearly 200 Japanese civilians. As the movie eloquently depicts, Oba waged a remarkably successful guerrilla campaign against the U.S. troops stationed on Saipan (for which he earned the nickname "The Fox"). As the movie also depicts, Captain Oba battled not only against the Americans but also against starvation, disease, and the overwhelming emotional chaos of war. Finally, on December 1st 1945, Captain Oba and his surviving men surrendered to the U.S. military. Oba was repatriated to Japan, where his memorable struggle on Saipan was later turned into a popular novel. Like any historically based film, "Oba" contains its share of historical inaccuracies and dramatizations. In particular, the Korean, Okinawan, and especially native Chamoru civilians who were also present on Saipan (and who suffered just as terribly as the Japanese civilians) are virtually ignored in this film. But in comparison to other WWII films (and especially to "Windtalkers," another WWII film set during the Battle of Saipan), "Oba" successfully depicts the desperate fighting that occurred on the island from both the American AND Japanese perspectives.In summary, I highly recommend "Oba: the Last Samurai" for anyone who is interested in the Battle of Saipan or the Pacific War. This movie comes as close as almost any other movie or TV series I have seen (American or Japanese) to capturing the sheer brutality of the fighting between the American and Japanese forces in the Pacific. And it deserves a much higher rating than the 6.2 average it currently holds on IMDb.com.

Interesting movie, with a new perspective on the war. Decent acting all around, and at least the American actors (led by Baldwin) weren't people they grabbed off the street, which is typical with Asian movies starring "white" people.I do have to take issue with one of the reviewers, though, who seems clueless about the movie's pedigree.@Shin Obi, This is not a "Hollywood" movie, genius. This was a Japanese movie. Japanese made. Japanese produced. Japanese directed. And shown almost exclusively in Japan. The fact that you seem to think it's some kind of "American propaganda" only means it treated the story FAIRLY, but for you, that only meant it was unreasonable. That says more about you than the movie, to be honest.

This is a film which tries to find balance between both stories, Japanese and American. It shows the brutality of war, and that there is good and bad on both sides. The film strives to portray the story of a man, Captain Sakae Oba, caught between honour and reason and his battle to find a course which satisfies both.The film is superbly shot, especially the wide-angle panoramas and action. As with most movies the guns fire with too much flame, the explosions are too small to be accurate, and people die too easily and without the screams and gore that accompanies true war. If it's action you seek, then another movie would probably suit you better.If you are an intelligent unbiased person who wishes to know about one of the more surprising stories of the Pacific war, then this film is a must. It glosses over some of the more salient points of the real story of Oba and his actions, such as time frame, but is a good account of the framework.On the whole it is a very good watch, and a fine film.