code system, anticipated Japanese naval
movements and gained the upper hand. The
battle ended Japan’s aspirations of naval
dominance in the Pacific and showed the
Allies that victory was possible.
Like its cousin in WW II filmed failure, the Ben
Affleck-led “Pearl Harbor,” Emmerich has decided
to tell this sprawling story using multiple
characters, including showing the Japanese side.
Hint: Everyone is brave.
In the actual battle theater are the brave, bad-
boy bomber pilot Dick Best (Ed Skrein), the
brave but more cautious Clarence Dickinson
(Luke Kleintank), the downhome brave Admiral
William “Bull” Halsey (Dennis Quaid), the
swaggeringly brave Jimmy Doolittle (Aaron
Eckhart) and the brave and cocksure Bruno
Gaido (a mustachioed Nick Jonas, reaching the
very limits of his acting skills).
You can instantly tell why these actors signed
up. Jonas gets to shoot an anti-aircraft artillery
gun at a plunging Japanese Zero and prove his
courage. “That was the bravest damn thing I’ve
ever seen. What’s your name, son?” an awed
officer says. Skrein, as Best, gets to be a daredevil
pilot who is admired by everyone. “Men like Dick
Best are the reason we’re gonna win this war,”
says one awed pilot. Eckhart gets to strut about
in a leather flying jacket and look awesome.
Onshore there are the brave intelligence officer
Edwin Layton (Patrick Wilson) and the brave
outside-the-box Nimitz (Woody Harrelson). The
Japanese are elegant, contained and brave, too,
especially Yamamoto (Etsushi Toyokawa) and Rear
Admiral Tamon Yamaguchi (Tadanobu Asano).