The Last Bullet

This movie is just excellent. It's a little war movie that no one has ever heard about and that's a real shame. At a quick glance it's not very interesting: an Australian made for TV movie starring Jason Donovan. And it's 90 minutes long (for me that's the definition of TV crap, those 90 minutes). But all is not what it seems. It's the story of an Australian and a Japanese soldier (both the last survivors of their units) that square of against each other in the jungles of Burma in the ending days of WWII. But it's not the action that's the allure of this movie. We get to know these guys with flashbacks to their lives before the war. What's their motivation, their background? They are not one dimensional and we get to know them and learn that neither of them is a bad guy (not even the Japanese who is always portrayed as bad guys in war movies). They are where they are for good reasons and during this movie it's impossible to take sides against either one. They are both good guys and you cry for them and what happens to them.

A great movie about what happens to men during war.

i have just seen this film on movies for men channel on sky t.v. , i would have missed it but by luck i stumbled across it . i never even knew that jason donovan had made this movie ,but think he done a excellent job . i won,t spoil it buy telling the plot and ruining it for anyone , but if you like me enjoy war movies , especially the classics , then this movie will be a pleasant surprise for you . it is as you will see low budget , but the acting is great and the story very well thought out and engrossing , and it was not one that i could predict the end easily , which this day and age happens often , the action is quite bloody in places so not for watching with any children around really , but in a realistic way not just a gore fest for the sake of it , it is a realistic and powerful story and a little gem from our Australian cousins , i think they should be given a lot more credit for there movies especially when they really are this good , as i said before it is well worth a watch and far better than i thought it would be , i am now off to order it on DVD to add to my collection , i think you could do a lot worse for a good war story especially as good world war two movies are few and far between especially in the jungle warfare of borneo i would give it 8/10 .

--Feb 2003--

My favorite WWII movie. Period. There are many contenders for the WWII title and this one takes it without much dispute. I keep it next to Lawrence of Arabia.

While I am a fan of war movies (along side a couple of other select genres) nothing makes me hate war more than this movie. It is perfect.

Somewhat reminiscent of Hell in the Pacific with its mano-a-mano style.

--Oct 2013 edit--

Looking back at this film years later it is, admittedly, hard to still call it may favorite WWII movie. Band of Brothers/The Pacific, Flags of Our Fathers/Letters from Iwo Jima, and maybe some others are all very good. So what is it about this film that grabs me (or used to grab me)?

The replay value is not all that great. This is not a film that you could probably sell your friends on at a movie party. I gave the film 10 stars perhaps mostly because I judge a film against its own budget and not against other films (and this is a low-budget film). Yet, the production quality is only pretty good, the acting is only pretty good ... everything seems to point to maybe 8 stars at best and not 10. Most of the great films I watch get an 8 or 9 with 10 going to only the truly landmark or innovative films. How is this one of those?

What it comes down to is this: I remember how moved I was when I first saw it. For that, it somehow earned two extra stars. Thus, while during replay (or some other critical viewing) it may be hard to see this value, isn't the emotional response while watching something the first time the true value of a dramatic film?

The stereotyped, ruthless, WWII Japanese warrior is well known in film. Perhaps fairly--perhaps unfairly. I have spent a bit of time researching Japanese culture and their sense of honor. I 'believe' I get the true message of a film such as Grave of the Fireflies (another great WWII movie--certainly the most depressing one) better than many Americans. The Last Bullet took me someplace wonderful in my understanding of Japanese honor: a place where it is impossible to judge which of the two main characters acted more bravely in a difficult situation. Surprising (a lot like how When the Last Sword is Drawn was another surprising film about Japanese honor). The difference between shame and honor is not always apparent--even in Japan it seems. Showing us the human struggle between shame and honor is what makes this film great.

After a knee injury sidelined me for several weeks, I discovered this fine film. Truly a great movie, Jason Donovan plays a very convincing new soldier to the jungles in the end of WWII. After the deaths of all of his comrades, he becomes embroiled in a fierce life or death struggle with the surviving member of a Japanese outpost. The final scenes bring humanity and seems to more personalize the war than most any other movie I've ever seen. This is a very fine film, don't miss it.

This film is a low budget TV production and that's how it should be taken. The main reason why it got my attention is the fact that the leading role is played by the Australian singer Jason Donovan. His performance is far from outstanding but it is still pretty acceptable. The action takes place during the last days of WWII in a jungle where Australian soldiers are looking for the last surviving Japanese warriors. It so happens that after an encounter between the enemies only one man both sides survives. The rest of the movie concentrates on the lonely battle of the two soldiers, looking to get rid of the other just to finally have a chance to return home to his family. One different aspect with the film is that there is really no good and bad guy. Both sides are equal, it is just the insanity of war that has put them against themselves. It is just unfortunate that the ending of the film goes a bit on the cheesy side (well frankly even much more than just a bit). So overall a quite ok film, why not watch it if you have a chance. 6/10