You are here:

The Human Bullet

Name: The Human Bullet
Director: Kihachi Okamoto
Released: 1968
Duration: 116 min

Representation Score

4.2/10

Fair

1968

Director

Kihachi Okamoto

Runtime

116 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

The Human Bullet is a specialized work that prioritizes thematic subversion over demographic diversity. While it lacks representation in terms of gender, race, and LGBTQ+ identities, it excels in its cultural critique of institutional power. By using dark comedy, the film challenges traditional nationalist myths and frames suicide missions as absurd and futile. Ultimately, the film's strength lies in its anti-authoritarian lens, even though it remains a narrow, male-dominated historical study.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does The Human Bullet have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film focuses solely on the male soldiers of the Imperial Japanese military and does not include any queer subtext or non-cisgender identities.

How does The Human Bullet portray gender?

Limited

The movie centers around male characters and lacks female characters to offer a counter-narrative or challenge existing gender hierarchies.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Human Bullet?

Fair

The cast is ethnically uniform, reflecting the historical context of the Japanese infantry. This perspective avoids whitewashing but does not blend different ethnicities.

How does The Human Bullet represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The film provides a critical look at state authority and military hierarchy during wartime. It challenges wartime propaganda by depicting suicide missions as absurd and futile.

Does The Human Bullet include disability representation?

Limited

The film explores psychological breakdown and combat stress as consequences of systemic trauma. However, it does not specifically address neurodivergent identities.

Present on Screen

Uses dark comedy to deconstruct state power and military hierarchy.
Challenges traditional nationalist myths with dark humor.
Frames suicide missions as absurd and futile.

Limited or Absent

Lacks female characters to provide diverse perspectives.
No LGBTQ+ representation or non-cisgender identities.
Limited exploration of disabilities beyond combat trauma.

Official Synopsis

A soldier has been in the Japanese military for the entirety of WWII, and in that time, his dedication to the army has never faltered. However, as the war draws to a close, his commanding officers become increasingly desperate and push their men to ever more absurd extremes. The ridiculousness of the orders from above peak when the hero of the story is assigned to drive a one-man submarine straight into the hull of an enemy battleship.

How are these scores produced? →