Pearl Harbor

View Date: May 26th, 2001

Cast :

Written by: Randall Wallace

Directed by:Michael Bay 

Hollywood’s recreation and reenactment of one of America’s saddest, yet greatest moments generates many questions, both before and after its viewing.  Prior to seeing it, the curiosity exists of the films historical accuracy while wondering if it will be able to tell the story without bogging it down with a sappy vapid love story.  Also, will it be able to break out of the summer movie mold and distinguish itself as an epic piece of history, or will it simply fall victim to universal crowd pleasing forsaking edgy film making for flash, fan appeal and simplicity.  After seeing the film, depending on your emotions and perspective, most of these questions should be answered, however I must present one more for you to wrestle with in determination of whether or not you should subject yourself to this 186 minute adventure.  Is it worth sitting through nearly two and a half hours of a fluffy, predictable, sometimes engaging, but mostly trite love story to see a spectacular, stunningly recreated 30-minute depiction of the emotions, feelings, hecticity and horror that was the “day that will live in infamy” along with some powerful engaging historical reenactments of the causes and effects of it all?  My answer to it all, is a conflicted and hesitant yes.  Though the beginning is slow and over developed, and the movie loses it’s edge every time it drifts into the story between two childhood friends and the nurse that comes between them, it does not completely dilute the experience, and is slightly necessary to give the events a human touch. 

There are two stories running concurrently, one historical and factual, which is very well done, and one based in fact, but mostly fabricated for the essence of emotion and realism. On one side, we have a tale that is a beautiful and powerful pictorial storybook regaling the events, both in the foreground of public knowledge, and in the shadows that the public may or not have known about.  We see the American’s as they conflict with their struggling effort in Germany.  We see the Japanese, a nation who felt they were given no other choice but to react the way they did.  Bay balances this tale by not showing the typical America good, Japan bad ideal.  Instead, both are shown as nations of humans, driven to a point of no return by political manipulation.  When the story focuses on these aspects, it is at its’ best, showing the before, the during, and the after to give fairly true recreation of things balanced with the way history always told us things happened. These reenactments are the movies shining moments, headlined by a very stunning 40-minute recreation of the horrific bombing.  There is very little dialogue, letting the action speak louder than any words that could ever try to describe.  This sequence has to be seen and experienced on the big screen to be truly appreciated and to grasp the emotional power of it all.  But, as in any retelling of an actual event, there has to be a human element and it just so happens that this human retelling is what drags, detracts, and nearly buries Pearl Harbor.  Affleck and Hartnett are childhood friends with lofty dreams of those flying machines.  They enlist and are conveniently enough, stationed together when Affleck meets a young nurse (Beckinsale) and they fall in love.  Through a convenient, not too subtle plot twist, Hartnett ends up falling for Beckinsale as well and the conflict between friends runs parallel with the conflict between the nations.  Unfortunately, this one weighs more heavily on the storyline than it should, and ultimately overshadows the more important aspects, instead of being the background story that it should have been.  It is understandable that in any historical retelling, there must be a human side, since the events of history are usually measured by their impact on the masses, and this one was a benchmark in the establishment of national pride in our country.  So I can forgive a bit, the sappy nature of the story and how it follows a very simple love story scenario.  But when that part of the story becomes the main focus, and the events become the background for the story, the focus is lost and the power and lasting effect is diluted, as it is here.  The movie labors onward too much, and could have done without so much focus on the love story, and side stories, instead, just introducing the characters, giving a little background, then letting the events carry their lives along.  Bay obviously realized that James Cameron had a winning formula when he did Titanic, because he follows the blueprint to a tee.  He introduces the story, and balances it with historical facts, running the two together, until that one cataclysmic event occurs bringing history and love together, before resolving things finally.  In Titanic, it worked a bit better for two reasons.  First off, the story didn’t completely beat the audience into submission with tacky dialogue and forced situations, opting instead for a simple, told a million times over, love story.  Secondly, Cameron balanced his telling with the events realizing in the end where the true focus belonged, on the tragedy and power of the events.  But since it wasn’t broke, and worked before, Bay tries it again, with limited success. Cameron also realized when to stop things, and Bay continues to drone things on and on, focusing on Doolittle’s raid on Japan after Pearl Harbor.  I understand the significance of this event, but in the grand scheme of this movie, it drones on an already extended experience into something that ironically lasts longer than the actual attack did.  My suggestion would be to trim a bit of the love story from the beginning, and a bit of the raid from the end so that the history can be the main focus.  I could even forgive the historical inaccuracies, since this is a summer action movie and not a history lesson, and it does create a curiosity to learn more, not just about the events, but about the validity of them.

When it comes to ensemble casts, as has been created here, sometimes it is the supporting ones who shine the most.  Ackroyd, as a government intelligence officer, Feore, as a Navy admiral in charge of Hawaiian operations, Baldwin, in full cocky persona again as Jimmy Doolittle and even Cuba Gooding as one of the real life heroes of the event.  The primary standout though is Voight, nearly unrecognizable as himself, but hauntingly recreating President Roosevelt right down his facial expressions and vocal tones. Affleck is a hit and miss actor, and he definitely misses here.  He is actually at his best when he plays it egotistical, cocky and over the top.  When he tries to play suave, debonair or sensitive (Armageddon and this) he fails badly.  Hartnett, one of the up and coming talents definitely gets his name and look out there and is acceptable for what he is, but in a script this sappy, neither here, nor British beauty Beckinsale, can save themselves. 

Ultimately, Pearl Harbor gives a fitting tribute to this benchmark event in American history, but dilutes it slightly by dragging things out a bit too long.  This event is one that is still fresh in people’s minds, so the makers had to tread lightly and be careful of what the presented.  The facts are very carefully done, it’s the fictional aspects that fail.  Bay at least realized this about 1/3 of the way in and balanced things out in a conclusion that is definitely stronger than its first half, but the patience level may be waning once its all over, and the audience will definitely feel the emotion, and exhaustion of the event by the time its over.  Had Bay been a little more generous in his editing, and a little less formulaic in his storytelling, he may have had the epic that he was seeking.  Instead, he has an acceptable piece of history that rises slightly above the rest of the summer faire in flash, but follows right along in story, leaving the viewers appeased, but not stunned, shocked and awestruck as it could have. ($$$ out of $$$$$)

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