Like all war pictures, FIVE SCOUTS offers its audience an image of soldiers that fit into the jigsaw puzzle of national identity. American war movies give us an image of men doing dirty work that has to be done. This picture offers us an image of professional soldiers. This movie, in contrast, promotes a view of Japanese soldiers as dedicated professionals: dedicated to their profession, their military unit and its traditions, and to each other.
The way they handle this professionalism is not in the American style, which has been almost set in stone since the silent version of WHAT PRICE GLORY and THE BIG PARADE. In America, the drama is about how individuals fit into the military with its General Issue equipment and rules. FIVE SCOUTS does not concern itself with those issues, but with how professionals work under pressure. Only recently, with last year's LONE SURVIVOR, has the audience been given a similar view of the American professional -- Navy Seals.
Besides some fine and understated performances, this has some wonderful by Saburo Isayama. His work is particularly fine in the moving shots, whether it an elevator shot of the camp site or the moving shots covering the soldiers running to do their duty.
The more casual moviegoer will see this work as propaganda and little more -- slick, professional propaganda, to be sure, but something to glorify the soldier and get those recruits in. There is, undoubtedly, an element of that. However, it is also a fine movie with a distinct viewpoint.