Focusing on Kaji's ill-fated enrolment into the army, this second act becomes less nuanced, as the obvious hatred towards the authoritarian system gets the most attention. As such Kaji's development throughout becomes more fatalistic and he is depicted more of a martyr than previous. It's still an engaging drama though, and it's beautifully and dynamic shot.

Kaji's martyrdom becomes more fatalistic and explicit and the plot more messy. This is the lesser act in the 9 hour epic, but it's still very moving and engaging.

Part deux: Humanist goes army style. Again not without a certain amount of trouble. Less nuanced than the first part but still a solid look at how humanist ideals have hard time in the army of a loosing nation. The battle scene in the end could have used a little more oomph.

Meet Kaji. Kaji is Jesus, trapped in a movie that would have had a greater impact, if you hadn't watched 'Full Metal Jacket' first. Kaji is now superhuman, with a stoic sense of dignity, as he takes on the horrors of the fascist Japanese army from within. If you're watching the trilogy as one movie, this is the point where you start to wonder, how much more of Kaji's indignated stare you can really take. Also: Meet Kobayashi, who couldn't direct a war scene to save his life.

Structured similarly to part I. This time military practices don't live up to Kaji's morals. It's a perfectly adequate WW2 flick with moments of greatness (the resolution of the suicide attempt scene). Kobayashi couldn't stage a bad shot if he tried. Good.

There's a 1½ hour masterpiece in here somewhere, but it's way too padded. Still, a handful of brilliant scenes make it worth the trudge. It also looks every bit as good as its predecessor.

More of a war film than the first one, but no less great. Intense and well paced with great characters and sharp critiques. Kaji's character is one of the best I've ever seen. Despite only a limited amount of his background being presented to us, his inner conflicts are so well developed and the performance so great that he's endlessly captivating and provides a lot to consider.

Giving the same score & review for each part, because it's really one long movie that only works if viewed together in sequence.

It becomes clear that you should expect this to go nowhere but into deeper levels of despair. Kaji begins to experience the horrors of war first-hand and as he's pushed to the breaking point, he starts to question his own morals. I was impressed by how Kobayashi manages to portray war as a completely harrowing experience without depicting any battles, at least until the film's riveting finale.

Kaji's descent continues, as he continues to fight a losing battle in trying to maintain a sense of morality and honor in a dehumanizing, brutal military, and his sense of hope is further weakened. Like the first installment, I felt this dragged its feet during the first half, but in the end it adds up to something very powerful, and the closing battle scene is very captivating, with a hell of a slam-bang ending.

...and of course Japan is not Hollywood, but this ain't exactly Godzilla), but I think this trilogy was produced for similar reasons. It had to be said: not all Japanese thought the rape of Nanking was such a hot idea, either. Nobody believes me when I tell them that a movie like this is not boring. Well... it's not. It would be more accurate to say it is *exhausting*. That is... there's always a lot happening in these movies... {to be continued in reviewspace of _Human Condition III_}

My score is for all three parts combined.

The drawn-out melodrama is getting a bit too much - I guess you can see it's based on an epic best-seller. Kobayashi's direction is still great, and the ending is quite compelling.

Somewhat tediously one-note: the dehumanizing brutality of the military is beaten into your head almost as much as the soldiers beat each other on the head (which is a LOT in this movie). The slight shift in gears towards the end is welcome, but the first half really could have used some trimming down. The repetition prevents this film from matching the emotional intensity of the first one, but the performances are excellent, the photography is inspired, and Kaji is a hero worth rooting for.