Taihei Kobayashi

A poignant and deeply moving story of the officers and men of the Saipan “Total Annihilation” Unit, who, longing for their loved ones back home, return to their homeland unseen.

Ken Takakura's screen debut, following his admission into Toei ranks via the studio's annual New Faces program, came surprisingly enough in this pair of Okinawa karate films. The two-parter was released on Jan. 29, 1956 as two thirds of a triple feature. Both halves run just under one hour. The fighting is actually pretty good for the time, and it's fun to see Takakura as an impatient, bearded karate rascal.