Overview
A harrowing tale of survival amidst the chaos of war and moral decay.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- harrowing
- bleak
- austere
- serious film study
- classic cinema viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as an exceptionally searing, brutally realistic, and engrossing anti-war drama whose uncompromising depiction of degradation can be physically difficult to endure.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Tamura and the scattered Japanese soldiers struggle through starvation, illness, abandonment, murder, and cannibalism in the Philippine jungle.
The film emphasizes emaciated bodies, wounds, corpses, and cannibalism in stark black-and-white images.
Private Tamura attempts to preserve his principles while hunger and military collapse push the men toward murder and cannibalism.
The Japanese Imperial Army has become a ragtag mob hiding in the jungle, leaving Tamura to survive largely without institutional support.
Films like Fires on the Plain, and why
The Thin Red Line
Shared anti-war humanism, harrowing battlefield aftermath, and focus on moral collapse rather than military triumph.
Letters from Iwo Jima
Shared Japanese Pacific War perspective, brutal realism, and intimate portrayal of soldiers facing defeat and dehumanization.
The Human Condition
Shared pacifist themes, stark black-and-white imagery, and uncompromising depiction of war's physical and spiritual degradation.
Come and See
Shared survivalist war drama, moral extremity, and bleak examination of soldiers abandoned by military systems.
Movie Details
- Director
- Kon Ichikawa
- Release Date
- 1959-11-03
- Runtime
- 105 min
- Rating
- 7.6 / 10 (130)
Cast
- Eiji Funakoshi
- Osamu Takizawa
- Mickey Curtis
- Hikaru Hoshi
- Mantarō Ushio
- Masaya Tsukida
- Koh Sugita
- Yoshihiro Hamaguchi
- Tatsuya Ishiguro
- Yoshio Inaba
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Criterion Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Fires on the Plain about?
- A stranded Japanese soldier navigates starvation, madness, and moral collapse in the Philippine jungle as World War II reaches its brutal end.
- What is Fires on the Plain like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Fires on the Plain as measured, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Fires on the Plain violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Fires on the Plain as graphic.
- What did critics think of Fires on the Plain?
- Critics broadly regard the film as an exceptionally searing, brutally realistic, and engrossing anti-war drama whose uncompromising depiction of degradation can be physically difficult to endure.
- Which films are like Fires on the Plain?
- Films with a similar feel include The Thin Red Line, Letters from Iwo Jima, The Human Condition, and Come and See.
- How long is Fires on the Plain?
- Fires on the Plain runs 105 minutes.
- Where can I watch Fires on the Plain?
- In United States, Fires on the Plain streams on Criterion Channel.
